Seven Years and a Moonlight Sonata
by Ivorynightmare
Summary: After awakening as the Hero of Time, Link finds out that seven years of his life have vanished in the blink of an eye. Sure, saving the world is important, but so is reestablishing the links with his important people. Link x Malon pairing
1. The not so sweeping rescue

Alright! I finally had the guts to post this story, or rather what I have of it .

Of course, being a first time poster, I had that little nervous trip, but I got over it quickly, and here it is! First the formal stuff. I do not own Legend of Zelda or any of the characters. They belong to Nintendo. Okay, for this story, I wanted to do a Link x Malon pairing. I always thought it would be better if the hero and unofficial knight picked the ranching, 'peasant' girl over the royal heiress to the thrown. Malon is just much more beautiful and better than Zelda, not that she's bad or anything. Well, here's the first chapter. Enjoy(or not ;) and criticism is always appreciated. Oh, and a little bonus! A good song from the new movie, Hancock, orchestrated by John Powell, called The Moon and the Superhero, is what I listened to while writing this song. It's a great song. Look it up on youtube and give it a listen.

--

"It's time, Link! Let's go and finish this" came the voice from over his shoulder. He looked back. She was right. It was time to finish this. Although it had only felt like a week and a half, it had been seven years. That was the thing that got him. _Seven years_! In the blink of an eye, seven years of his life were erased so he could mature into what he was today. When he had pondered about it, Saria had told him to be thankful. "You should be happy! You fixed everything as a kid, and now you can continue to fix this. Be thankful for what the sages have made you" she smiled. Link closed his eyes. The serene atmosphere in the Temple of Time was calming. As he sat on the white stone steps, he felt as if he could hear the voices, hear the footsteps, and feel every presence in the sacred building since ancient times. "You go ahead Navi, I have something I need to think for a couple minutes" she was about to say something, but he held up his hand "Alone, please" he said in an unusually calm voice. She looked at his hands. They had been so small and smooth when their journey first started. Now they were larger, and worn leather gloves covered his now scarred hands. She quickly flitted out of the room, her little wings beating as fast as they could to get her out the door.

As soon as she left, Link sighed, lying back on the cold floor. He removed the sheathed Master Sword from his back, and set down the ancient Hylian Shield he had gotten from Impa. He looked at its worn, scratched surface. Amazingly, the symbols were still clear and showing just fine. He brushed his hand over it. Impa said it had belonged to his father. He wasn't sure if he could believe her at first, but after so many battles with using it, it had a protective aura about it, and now he had no doubts. He had his mother's life that she gave so he could live, and his father's shield to protect that life. He had so much given to him, and so much taken from him. But being made into something? "You were wrong, Saria…" he stood and gathered his things, before he made his exit, glancing back at the small room that had been his house for the seven years. "… I made myself. Not somebody else…"

The air outside was as stale as ever. The normally bustling Castle Town was silent. Link thought back to the first time he had came back out here. The silence had been unnerving. It didn't bother him at all anymore. He looked over the horizon, seeing Ganon's Tower out there. "Finally! C'mon, let's get going! We have a world to save, right?" Navi flitted back over to link, sitting on his shoulder. He looked over to the fairy. Her wings folded behind her back, and she crossed her legs. It had been hard for Link to adjust to having a six inch tall, naked woman around him when he was a child, but he didn't so much mind it now. He chocked that down to 'puberty'.

Her big brown eyes and her amber hair fell down in a waterfall of tresses. Her question made him smile. It was what she always said when he was discouraged. Every time he had messed something up, or was nervous, she was there. He reached over and stroked her head with a finger. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go do what we do best" he smiled brighter as she moved to her usual spot behind his neck, under his hair. Being put to sleep for seven years might rest the mind, but not the body. His rather short blond hair had grown out. He had it cut, but not much shorter. He liked his hair like this. Impa had given him something to tie it back with. It hung down from beneath his cap. "I've been wondering, Navi…" Link said aloud as they moved through one of the back alleys of the market town. "Why don't you hide in my cap like you did when I was a kid?" he wanted to ask the question for the longest, but he didn't. Navi froze, the locks of Link's hair she smelled still clutched in her hands. "I-uh…." She hesitated, laughing nervously. "It's just more comfortable here. You've got all that extra hair now, how am I supposed to ride up top?" she covered up with a joke.

Link laughed "I suppose you're right" the little fairy knew just how to cheer him up. He looked up the hill towards where Hyrule Castle had stood. Rauru told him about Gannon's Tower. He decided to sprint the last part. He wanted to kick Ganondorf's ass. He was coming over the home stretch, a smirk on his face, when he noticed a huge gap, and a pit of lava. "Woah!" he stopped, teetering on the edge. "Great! Now what? Do I have to learn to fly?!" Link screamed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

Link sighed as he walked back through the market town. "Aw, cheer up, champ! We've figured out stuff harder than this before. We can do it again!" the little fairy patted the side of his head from her shoulder perch. "Yeah, you're right, Navi" he smiled softly, looking up and nodding, as if to confirm it with himself as they stepped through the decimated doorway to the castle town and waded through the broken middle of the drawbridge. Link sighed once again as he saw the plains. The plains used to be so full of life, and now they were deadened. "We should head towards Death Mountain. We've already saved Saria, now we should go check up on Darunia" Navi tried to get him out of this little down spot by giving him a suggestion on what to do. He was never down when there was something to do. He was the complete opposite, actually. He was the strong, courageous man that everyone had come to know. Link nodded, but stopped as he spotted Lon Lon Ranch. On his way to save Saria, he forgot about everything else. "Wait… I think I'm going to check up on Talon and Malon first. I always did like the Lon Lon milk" he chuckled as he thought back yet again. He took off in a slow jog at a steady pace and made his way across the middle of the Plains towards the ranch.

Malon struggled against the ropes once again. It was pointless, really. Although a life of working on the ranch with her father had given her a better build than most girls, this was the rope her father and Ingo had woven themselves to prevent the horses from running wild if they were spooked. She groaned. 'This sucks…" she whined. She heard the footsteps outside again. _Oh goddesses, he's coming back again…_ her struggling was renewed, despite the fact that she knew it wouldn't work. She just wanted out before Ingo got back. The door creaked open. She froze up, her eyes glued to the door. Too late. "Oooooh Malon…" Ingo sang, his voice filled with a sort of dark humor.

He stepped in the stables slowly, shutting the door behind him. Her eyes went wide at the whip in his hands, but her mouth failed to produce any words. "Shall we get back to-" Ingo was interrupted by a call from outside. Malon knew it was one of the Gerudo farmhands Gannondorf had lent him "Dammit… Hold on" he growled, walking back outside and shutting the door. Malon sighed. Saved for the moment… but she knew that wouldn't last. She was thinking about what to do and freaking out about what she couldn't, but her thoughts were interrupted by a part of the roof collapsing. "Ooof!" a groan came from a bale of hay that had boots sticking out of it. "Yeah… don't try to be like Sheik again…" Navi muttered, clutching her head and getting her bearings. Link sat up, a little dazed himself. He straightened his cap and shook his head. "Malon! I'm here to save you" he smiled, drawing his blade and cutting the ropes.

He held out his hand to help her up, but she was still a little hesitant. Even though this man was saving her from Ingo's wrath and whatever disgusting…. Things he was planning to do, too many trips around the new Hyrule had taught her not to trust strangers all over again. "And just who are you?" she asked, giving him a slightly edgy look. She kept her hand back. Link looked confused and a little hurt. "I'm Link!" he said with a confident smile. "Un-uh, sorry. Doesn't ring any bells" Malon declared. Link's jaw dropped slightly, the confident smile completely gone. "Remember? From seven years ago?" he pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and played the song she had taught him quickly. "Huh? Oh! The fairy boy from back when I was a kid?" she asked, seeming blissful to finally see him again. He knew it wasn't for nothing. "Yeah! Now c'mon, let's get the hell out of here" he looked around, wary of anything that could happen. "Sorry, but I'm waiting for my Prince Charming" she turned her head to the side with a smile on her face. Link couldn't help but smile at her little joke from seven years ago.

"_Thanks again for helping us out, Link!" Talon chuckled as he clapped the boy on his back. "Ah heh heh, not problem, sir" Link rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. "Now, now! I told you to call me Talon! Don't bother with that 'sir' stuff" the middle aged man smiled. Link took another drink of a glass of famous Lon Lon Milk. They were laughing and speaking loudly as Talon told Link about the old days when he would help his father on the ranch. Malon sighed. It was always up to her to keep the order around here. "Will you two be a little quieter!" she snapped. That got their attention, as it silence both of them. "Thank you" she smiled. Finally some quiet. "Well, it's late, so I'm gonna turn in" Talon nodded, scratching his balding head. "You gonna go out and sing under the stars with Epona an' the bunch?" he asked, referring to the horses. _

_Malon nodded, smiling. Talon chuckled once again, stretching. "What about you, Link? It's getting' kinda late. Why don't you stay for the night?" he asked. Link didn't want to turn down his kind offer. That, and the fact that he had no desire to find a soft spot in the dirt or under a tree to sleep tonight. "Thanks, si- I mean, Talon" he grinned and flashed a thumbs up. Talon laughed loudly, walking up the stairs and waving his hand at them. "You go out there and make sure she ain't attacked by no monster, alright young man?" he joked. "You can count on me!" Link pumped his fist into the air. Malon shook her head, a stupid smile on her face._

_It was a cool, calm night as the two walked out to the horses holding area. Malon kept the gates open, as she knew none of the horses would run for it. They liked this place. They were treated well, fed well, and Malon and Talon were so kind to them. Malon walked to her usual spot in the middle of the field and Link took his spot next to her. She cleared her throat with a little 'ahem' and took a deep breath. The horses looked up, knowing that the singing would soon start. Link was eager to hear her sing as well. As the first notes slipped from her mouth so smooth he was sure it had to have been Zoras diving from her vocal chords into the proverbial ocean of her song, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the grass. It instantly made the night even calmer than he had been before. She swayed slightly as she sung. Her mother's song reminded her of the old days. _

_Link reached into his pack, removing his ocarina. He slowly accompanied her on it as she sung her beautiful song. The two mixed and melded together to make a beautiful sonata in the pale moonlight. As the singing and playing came to a close, the chickens crowed, the horses neighed, and even the cows could be heard, giving their thanks in their own form of a standing ovation. Link stood up, taking Malon's hand in his own, and they bowed, laughing as they did so. Link sat back down, about to take his hand from hers, but as his fingers started to slip away she tightened her grip. She looked away from him as he peered over at her. A slight smile was on his face as he put his hand back in place and tightened his grip in return. Her face flushed red as she turned back to him. She was trying to say something, anything to break the silence, but she couldn't find her words. _

"_Nights like this…" Link began, musing over thoughts in his head. "… are precious. They're gifts. So it's fitting that we enjoy them with the people we care about, right?" Link turned to her and smiled. The young rancher girl didn't expect this from her. He was usually goofy and idiotic. Something so insightful coming from his mouth surprised her in every sense of the word. "Y-Yes…" she finally found her voice "They are. Link… I know it's kind of stupid to worry about it, but when ever me and father go out to deliver to places, we always talk with our clients. People have been… saying things. I know he was just joking earlier when he was talking about protecting me from monsters, but… From what people have been saying, that could __**actually **__happen" she put emphasis on the actually. _

_He nodded as she spoke. "I… I hate monsters. They're scary, and… that's how my… mother died…" she closed her eyes. Link looked at her. She was trembling softly, she seemed ready to cry. He moved closer to her, putting his arms around her as they lay beneath the starry night sky. Every time she or Talon had ever spoken of her mother, they never said much about her. Just that she was a good person, kind and sweet, and saw good in everyone and everything. Malon opening up about her mother's death was something he wasn't expecting. Looked like it was his turn to be surprised. "Don't worry…" he stroked her head as she curled up closer to his chest. "Link… you'll protect me, just like father said, right?" she asked, looking up slightly. Her brown-orange eyes locked on his. He took a second, then nodded. "Of course! I promise!" he clenched a fist in front of himself and her. "You swear? You swear that when I'm in trouble, you come in and sweep me off my feet and rescue me from danger as my Prince Charming?" she moved her head up further, their noses practically touching. They stared at each other for what felt like years, and Link slowly smiled, putting his hand on the side of her face. "I swear"_


	2. The Great Escape

Okay! Part two of my little project. I know it hasn't even been a day, and that I've ogt no reviews, but I guess getting over that nervous trip made me more eager to post then I thought

Once again, Nintendo owns the characters and series, not I. I think the rating may have to change as we move along ;

Oh, and by the way, another bonus! The song I listened to while writing this is another from the Hancock soundtrack. It's called "Death and Transfiguration". Awesome movie, awesome soundtrack. Hit it up on youtube and give it a listen.

--

Link slowly opened his eyes, the flashback finishing for now. He heard some thumping from outside. "Shit! Took too much time…" he muttered. Malon looked to him, her eyes a bit fearful. The door didn't hold for very long when pitted up against the combined attacks of Ingo and the Gerudo farmhands. Link whipped around, pushing Malon behind him. "I'm ready to keep that promise" Link looked back at her, a grin on his face. "Milady, your Prince Charming has arrived" he took a bow as Ingo screamed at the farmhands. They leapt simultaneously at Link, their curved swords drawn. Link met their charge with his blade. The flashing steel knocked one of his attackers off balance. He made short work of her with a kick to the chest that sent her sprawling into the wall. "And then there were three…" Link smirked.

The Gerudos seemed taken aback at the apparent ease with which he defeated one of their sisters. They decided to stick to tactics, two attacking forward while one circled around the back. Swords clashed, and Link held his ground. He knew what they were trying. A standard distract and destroy tactic. He knew it was coming. "Three… two… one… Let's rock!" Link's eyes flashed open. He shoved the woman back and flipped into the air, landing on the blade of the woman behind him. He jumped off of that and delivered a dropping kick to the back of her neck. She dropped rather easily.

_Wow… he looks so cool!_ Malon thought as she watched the battle proceed. There was a loud, shrill whistle from outside. Shouting and running could be heard outside. "I think we've overstayed our welcome, don't you think?" Link laughed, moving back to her side as the Gerudos began to encircle the stables. Link threw an arm around Malon's waist and held her tight while she slipped her arms around his chest, doing the same. She noticed he was taller than her now. He was almost a head taller than her to be precise "Now, for our triumphant exit from the ball!" Link shouted, throwing his other arm into the air for dramatic effect. He grabbed the hookshot from his belt and shot it upwards. It stabbed into a wooden beam and he hit the button to retract the spring loaded chain. It yanked them up and out of the hole.

Malon laughed, a bright smile on her face as they soared through the air. Link hooked a finger in his mouth and whistled loudly. Malon heard a familiar neighing and saw a brown flash. Link landed perfectly. He wouldn't say it out loud, but secretly, he was relieved he hadn't landed on, oh, let's just say his 'Spiritual Stones'. She readjusted herself on the back of the saddle, her arms tight around Link's waist. A loud clang and a series of clicks worried Malon. "They're raising the outside gate!" she cried. "What?! Since when in the _hell_ has this place had an outside gate?!" Link screamed back to her. "My dad had it installed when things started getting really ba- Oh Goddesses! We're not gonna make it!" she saw the strong, iron fence slide up in place.

The sound of the pursuing Gerudos was getting louder by the second. "We're gonna make it!" Link shouted. Arrows flew but missed their mark as the fell and struck the ground around them. "We can't! It's too sturdy! We'll never break through!" Malon shook her head. It was going so well, too…

"Who said anything about going _through_?!" he turned, a large smirk on his face. "You don't mean-" she started. A nod from him was enough to silence her. "You're crazy! We're never gonna make it!" The gate was just in front of them, coaxing them forward. An arrow hit closer this time, just grazing Link's cap. "Ahh! Be careful, Link! You've got someone else up here, too, ya know!" Navi screamed from under his cap. Funny how the discomfort of riding up there melted away.

"We're not gonna make it! We're not gonna make it! We're not gonna-!" Malon shrieked Link reached back, slapping Epona on the back side. "Ya, Girl!" he shouted. Epona neighed as if she, too, was riding. Malon felt the weight shift as the horse bent down to jump. "You're completely crazy! We're not gonna-!" her screaming was once again stopped by a shriek as Epona lept.

Everything seemed to be moving slower now. As if the leap through the air also made them leap through time. Arrows flew every which way. Sweat dropped from their brows, and Navi screamed along with Malon as Link laughed. When Epona's hooves did hit the ground, Link whooped, throwing both arms into the air as Epona carried them farther and farther away from the ranch. "Omigodomigodomigod" Malon was breathing quickly, practically hyperventilating. "WE MADE IT!!" She screamed, also throwing her amrs up in the air, but quickly wrapped them back around Link when she almost fell.

Epona stopped far away from Lon Lon ranch. Even the great former Hyrule Castle was in the distance. They sat by a stream, still panting with excitement as Epona drunk from a stream. The setting sun in the distance gave everything a golden orange tint. "Oh my god, you crazy bastard! I can't believe we made it!" Malon was laying on the ground, laughing and smiling as she stretched out. Her breathing was still a bit erratic. Link smiled, sitting next to her. "I told you we'd make it" he flashed her a thumbs up.

"Yeah… You were right" she smiled with him and let her arms drop loosely. "So… I kept my promise, didn't I?" Link winked at the orange haired rancher. She giggled "You certainly did, Prince Charming" she sat up, crawling over to him. "And you know what Prince Charming gets after he saves the young princess, don't you…?" she whispered in his ear. "Oh, I have an idea" he replied smartly. "Geez, you and your smart ass retorts" she laughed and put one hand on his chest, the other one taking one of his hands as she made him lay back.

She propped herself over him, looking over the boy-no, the man-that she had not seen for seven years. He was so mature now and much more handsome. Her long silky orange hair brushed his face as she took in every detail. He looked up to her, a soft smile on his face. She leaned in, lightly clutching a handful of his tunic and gripping his gloved hand. Their lips touched, softly and quickly at first, but on the second touch, they stayed.

_Goddesses, she smells good…_ Link thought as their lips locked. She pulled away from the kiss as he lightly licked her lips, inviting her for another pass at it. He took the initiative this time, however, using his free hand to pull her face down to him and kiss her deeply. Her eyes widened, but slowly shut once again as their tongues curled around each other and they held their sweet embrace. Her hands clutched at his tunic and glove tighter as the kiss deepened. He moved his hand down the back of her head to rest on the back of her neck before he slowly slid it down her side. She squeaked slightly into he kiss as his fingers brushed against her now surprisingly sensitive skin.

"Oh, c'mon! Can't you two get a room? Puh-lease! I don't need to see that!" Navi shouted from inside his removed cap. That brought Malon back to her senses. She pulled away from the kiss, untangling her fingers from his green tunic and letting go of his hand. Link sighed. Although she was a great friend of his, she sure knew how to be a buzz kill. "Aw, c'mon Navi. I was Prince Charming. I'm just getting my reward from my beautiful princess" he said, placing his hand on Malon's head. Her face turned a darker shade of red as he said this.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever! I'm still your partner and guardian assigned to you by the Great Deku Tree. I gotta make sure you don't do anything… indecent" she snapped. If Malon's face was red before, it was now ten times worse. "I-indecent..?" she muttered. "W-What?! I'm old enough to make my own decisions! And besides, I wouldn't take advantage of her like that" Link retorted.

Malon smiled softly as she heard this. _Kind, caring, and my Prince?_ She giggled at her little inside joke. Link and Navi continued to argue for bit before they finally came to a stiff truce like children.

--

Malon bent down over the sticks she had gathered as Link waded back out of the water. He had removed his tights and tunic, along with his boots and gloves, to reveal a toned body under white patterned shorts, and a tan shirt. As his clothes clung to him, the girls stared at him while he walked back to their little camp sight. "Here, let me take care of that" Link took the rocks from Malon's hand that she had attempted to start a fire with. He concentrated some of his magical energy into his hand and conjured up a small fireball in his hand. The sticks lit pretty easily. "Got some good catches" Link bragged, holding up three fish. One big, one medium, and a tiny guppy. He set apart skinning and gutting them while the girls warmed themselves near the fire.

"Turned out pretty nice, huh?" Link asked as he munched on his fish. Malon nodded. She had never really gotten to eat fish before, but this fish tasted fantastic. Navi devoured her guppy within seconds, but it filled her up. She burped softly "That was great…" she slumped towards his cap "I'm off. See you in the morning" she yawned and the small sound of her collapsing was heard. Malon giggled and Link just grinned. She scooted closer to him, laying her head on his chest.

There was a small rustling, and Navi's head poked out of the cap. "Oh, and… Don't let me catching you two… 'in the act'. We're saving the world here. We don't need any babies" she dived back into the cap, a pleased look on her face at a embarrassed Malon and a shocked Link.

"W-W-WHAT?!"


	3. Here come the Men In Black

On a first note towards the Chapters title: Sorry No Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones

Okay! Part three! I was planning to post this part up _waaaay_ earlier than I did, but I ended up sleeping pretty late. Here's part three of my the story. Once again, I do not own LoZ, Nintendo does. Music listened to whiel writting this: "Almost here" by The Acadamy is..., and "Caramelldansen metal" by NicoNicoDouga.

"Link ponders about the 'new world', Malon has a question, and the plot thickens."

Wait a minute... This story has a plot?! O.o?!

--

Link sighed. He rolled over once again. It was evident to him that tonight, sleep would be quite impossible. The moon was high in the skyand looked like a giant pale pearl in the endlessly dark sky. He looked over to the others. Navi was snoring loudly for such a little fairy. She always claimed his cap as her bed when it came time for sleep. Then he glanced over to Malon.

He had given her the cushiest spot in their little campground. He even let her sleep on his pack after taking the harder things out, and had her use his tunic as a blanket. After a while, he decided he had to do something about the feeling in his legs. They wanted to move around, to do something, anything, really. He sat up, grabbing his sword and unsheathing it. He slid his hands down the sleek steel. _However the sages forged this thing, they did a damn good job. Still so sharp after so long and so much use…_ his thoughts swam around in his head as he continued to run his hand up the blade.

His hand stopped and rested near the hilt. His fingers bushed up and down over the Triforce symbol while he leaned against the blade, planting it in the soft, fertile soil. This place was nice, seeing as how it was the only place this alive left after everything went to hell. He looked over the plains over the hill they were behind and sighed. The first time he came out here, the sun was shining high in the sky and the rolling hills of the plains were beautiful as the grass seemed to sway in waves with the wind.

Now, though… The sky was almost always painted a sickly red, and the grass and trees were mostly dead, which may or may not have something to do with Death Mountain's cloud that Navi had pointed out to him during their trips through the now desolate plains. He shook his head slowly

"I have to fix this…" he whispered, making sure not to wake the others as he stood. The grass felt good, cool between his toes. He dropped the sheath of the sword and walked a short distance away from the other two.

He didn't want to wake them, but he wanted to be able to get back if something happened. He closed his eyes, slowly picking his sword up in front of his face. Taking in a deep breath was always the first step. He took in as much as his chest would hold and held it, then slowly let it slide back out through his nose and mouth. His eyes opened and he focused on the tree in front of him.

He swung the Master Sword as fast as he could, with as much force as he could muster. It cut a big gash in the bark. He went with the flow of his momentum, spinning into the attack and turning it into an upwards swing, severing two branches. He decided to continue with the flow, flipping back as his blade sung through the air, and finished it with a stab. Some practice would definitely keep him busy, he reasoned. Keep him busy and wear him out so he could sleep, but also keep him from dwelling on his thoughts.

Link sighed as he lay back, panting. It was much easier to drift off to sleep now, after using all of his pent up energy cutting that dead tree to ribbons. His eyelids felt like lead as he quickly slipped into sleep. Just before he was completely asleep, he realized something: Ever since he had woken up in the Chamber, he hadn't had a dream. Not once.

--

Malon's eyelids fluttered open, grateful for the hill that was over them for the shade. The sun was bright in the sky today. Unlike most places where it was red, the sunshine was clear and unfiltered here. She looked over to see Link tangled up in a bush. She smiled and shook her head as he snored.

"Hey… Link?" she spoke semi-softly as she poked his ribs. He shifted slightly but ignored it. Malon giggled as she took in a breath.

"HEY FAIRY BOY!! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UUUUUUP!!" she screamed.

"Wha-? AH!" Link thrashed around as he woke up.

He sat up and shook his head while he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. She watched him sit up and stretch. "Alright, alright… I'm up" he sighed, standing and grabbing his stuff. She waited for him to get dressed and get his stuff together. She had a question she wanted to ask him.

"Yo, Navi!" Link picked up his cap and swung it around in small circles. "Time to wake up!" he smirked as her small muffled screams could be heard. He kept the spinning up for a couple seconds longer, then finally let go of the opening and let her out.

"W-What the hell was that for?!" she stammered, shaking her head and attempting to fix her hair. She silently seethed as she looked at her reflection in the water, dipping herself in to wash her hair. Sometimes he could be so annoying, but then again, that was a quality they both shared.

As Link was getting ready to call them back to leave, Malon stopped him with a tug on his sleeve. "Um… I want to know…" she was mumbling at first. She was struggling on the inside. She wanted to ask, but then again she didn't.

Link grinned. "Yeah?" he was waiting for this. She was going to ask how he felt about her, and he was going to take that opportunity to ask her out for dinner at Kakariko village, then bring her back to the house that Impa had left for him and-

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN FOR SEVEN YEARS?!" she screamed at him. Needless to say, this caught him off guard. His eardrums were still ringing from the close proximity of the scream as well as how loud she was when he began to formulate an answer.

"Ah, well, I…" he was grasping at words that weren't there. After a while, he cleared his throat. "Well, you see… I'm the Hero of Time and I-" he started, but she closed her eyes and held up a hand.

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked, refusing to look at him. For seven long years, she thought that he had forgotten her and the promise, that he had found somewhere else to go and someone else. An real explanation was only fair.

"What? I'm telling the truth! You have to believe me? I'm telling you the truth! Isn't that right, Navi?" he turned to his fairy friend. She folded her arms over her chest, also refusing to look at him. "Aw, c'mon! Why does this always happen to me?!" Link scratched his head with both hands out of frustration. He was always caught up in this kind of situation.

--

In the dark chamber, a laugh cut through the silence. There was a slight rustling as the man at the throne in the small room shifted around. "Ah… Enjoy your free time while you can, Hero of Time… I'm going to rule this place… This I swear…" Ganondorf laughed. The occupants of the room sighed as that one laugh expanded into a fit of other laughs.

"Typical villain, aint'cha…?" a voice floated across the room. Everyone was silenced. Ganondorf cleared his throat. This boy was annoying, but he was necessary as well. "Can't keep yourself from laughing like that to save your ass" he stood up and turned his back to the rest of them.

"Where do you think you're going, Kail?" one of the little Gerudo witches spoke up. Most of the attendants of the castle that were being forced to work there were terrified of the twin witches, as they were Ganondorf's number twos. Not this boy, however…

"Pfft. Anywhere but here" he ignored their outbursts as he left, the door slamming behind him. His black tunic and cap reminded him of the so called 'Hero of Time'. The red markings tattooed under and above his right eye down the side of his face, along with his red irises were what set him apart. He didn't know how he came to be. Some people said he was found, nearly killed, and brought back to health in the castle. "Not likely" he scoffed. His silver hair moved slightly in the wind as he stepped over the broken drawbridge.

Others said that, maybe he was made or summoned. His retort was always a laugh and a smart remark like "You think something this sexy could have been made?" he enjoyed himself. But lately… Ganondorf bored him with his mad rants, his fits of evil laughter that the others put up with, and all this talk of 'conquering Hyrule, then the world'. He wasn't interested in all that. He just wanted to have some fun.

He drew his sword. He'd had it on him for as long as he could remember. Its black hilt had a diamond shaped red gem in it, and the sleek sliver blade was average length. It was a nice sword. "The only one worthy of the name, Mastema, of the fallen angel who brought much suffering this place" he grinned, remembering it's history.

He closed his eyes and took in the scents being brought in on the winds. When his eyes finally did open, they seemed to be glowing. "Let's see what you've got, 'Hero of Time'…" he smirked.


	4. All Quiet on the Western Front

To clear up any confusions about the last chapter name, there was Kail in black(OC ) and Ganondorf was always know as the Gerudo man in black armor.

Okay! Four! Sorry, I meant to post this part up yesterday, but I had a lot to do, and not enough time to do it in X.x

I'm going to try to have a quote of turning out a chapter every day or two. So far I've kept up with it rather nicely D

On a personal note, I've realised how much of an asshole I've been being. I haven't been thanking you guys!

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. So far, I can say that I've gotten some rave reviews, and I'm glad to know people are enjoying my story. Keeps me motivated to keep going, ya know?

I've been thinking about something. I've been thinking about becoming a beta reader for a while now. Do you think I should? In your reviews, if you don't mind, could you give your opinion? You don't have to of course, but it would help. Acclaimed soundtrack: "Siege of Madrigal" Halo 1-3 soundtrack, "Moonlight Sonata" Beethoven(Bee-thoven? .?), "Echo" Trapt(I think this song fits Link and Malon rather nicely. Opinions? Give it a listen on youtube D), and "If it wasn't for the distance" Nice guys finish first. I hope you guys are enjoying the soundtrack as well Until next time!

PS Sorry if this chapter seems kinda short ; It's leading up to a longer one, so I thought I'd make this one short, and give myself some more time to work on th elonger one. I can work fast when I need to, trust me D

This chapter: "A place to call home, Detination!: Death Mountain, and a run in with the boy in black"

Next chapter: "A fight with the strange black-clad boy, Malon can sew?, and 'Why do you think it's called _Death_ Mountain?!'"

--

"Do you think he can take care of the job?" Ganondorf asked as he sipped wine from a goblet. "Do you really think that that boy, Kail, can defeat the Hero of Time…?"

Link sneezed as Epona galloped towards the castle. "Huh? Are you sick?" Malon asked him. It was the first thing she had said to him in a while. She and Navi still refused to speak with him for the moment.

"I don't know… I just got this strange feeling… like someone was talking about me or something…" Link rubbed his nose as he spoke. He smiled when he saw the bridge leading towards Kakariko village. It was the first place he went after his awakening. He met Impa there, and they discussed what had happened. She was a tough woman, but she was also very nice. She helped him with training for a day or two, and even gave him his own house. He hadn't had a place to stay since he lived in the woods.

"So where are we going, anyway?" Malon was still a bit hesitant to talk to him. She didn't know whether to take him seriously on the Hero of Time story or not.

"Back to Kakariko village so I can talk to Impa about what to do next, and to show you around my house" he slowed Epona's pace down to a slow trot. He was hoping that showing her around his house would, hopefully, calm the hot headed farm girl down. He kept silent as they moved up into Kakariko, but decided to break it just before they went through the village gate.

"Look, Malon… I know you don't believe me about the Hero of Time story… but it's the truth. I can prove it… I _will_ prove it" his voice had been had been hesitant at first, but now it was solid. She was taken aback by it at first. He sounded so sure of himself. Maybe he was telling the truth…

The silence wasn't helping Link's courage at all. It was funny how, when faced with almost certain death at the hands of a phantom, when surrounded by Stalfos knights without his shield and exhausted, and even when fighting a giant spider, he was completely calm. With her, however, it was different. It made the pit of his stomach feel empty. He felt disgusting and, though he wouldn't admit it, scared.

Malon sighed "Alright… I'll believe you for now, but you have to promise me you'll show me, alright?" she laid her head against his back and sighed. He smiled as she tightened his grip around his waist. She felt warmer. He couldn't see her, but he could tell she was smiling.

"Thanks. I'll make sure that you can believe me without any doubt" he assured her. He spotted Impa waving at him. How did she always know when he was coming? Was it one of those Sheikah powers? He shrugged. He smiled and waved back, directing Epona towards her.

"Link! You're back. Did you save your friend from the Temple? And who's this? I knew it! You do have a girlfriend!" she teased. Malon's face flushed red and Link chuckled nervously as they dismounted. Impa was definitely strange. She could be the most stoic, nonchalant person on the face of the Earth when she wanted to. Then again, there were times like _this_.

"So this where you're hiding, eh…?" Kail narrowed his eyes as he watched Link and two other-wait, no three counting the fairy-people walk into a house. He sat, perched on a tree branch. He was eager to just jump down there right now and get this started, but he knew he had to be patient. Besides, he wanted his entrance to be cool.

Link sighed as he sat down in one of the chairs in Impa's house. She brought two plates over to the table for them. "Oooh, you have crow meat? It's my favorite" Link sat up, licking his lips. The tender, succulent meat always made his mouth water. He rubbed his hands together and eagerly took the fork and knife. He was just about to messily dig in and devour the piping hot bird meat, but Malon stopped him.

"Link! Have some manners!" she snapped as she smacked him on the back of the head. She turned to Impa "I'm sorry. He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes" Malon bowed her head slightly in apology. Impa laughed at the two.

"You two act just like a married couple, you know that" she poked fun at them and it seemed to have the desired result. Link and Malon both looked to the side, away from each other, suddenly interested in their utensils.

"Well, visiting isn't the only reason why we came here" Link finally spoke up. He turned to the Sheikah woman. "I came to ask you a question. I saved Saria, and I got this" Link pulled the green medallion from his pack. "Saria said the other sages are still out there, but I don't know where I should look next" he forgot about his crow meat as he spoke, seeing as how he didn't notice Navi chewing on some of it.

"Where to go next…?" Impa thought aloud, scratching her chin. "Next… Well, since you're here anyway, why don't you head up to Death Mountain? I heard that Darunia and the Gorons are having some trouble" she looked through the window as she spoke. Link followed her gaze.

The red ring of clouds circling the summit of Death Mountain was like a foreboding omen. Something just didn't feel right about it. Link nodded, seeing as how Navi had suggested it several times anyway.

He looked down to see his fairy companion munching on his crow meat. "Hey!" he took his fork, putting it in her hair and twirling it around like you would with noodles. "Eh heh heh…" Navi laughed nervously, tiny pieces of crow meat on her face. He held her up, growling until he remembered his other question.

"Oh yeah! For the time being Malon" he set his hand on her shoulder 'has no place to stay. Her father used to own Lon Lon Ranch, but he was driven out by Ganondorf. I'm going to go back there and take it back, but I can't yet, so is it alright if she stays here for the time being? At my house, of course" Link looked serious as he spoke.

"Stay here? Sure" Impa smiled, looking over at Malon, whose face was slightly reddened. "I-I can work! And help out to, so I won't be a bother!" she stuttered. She planned to keep true to her word. She hated just being a burden.

"Well then, it's decided!" Link stood up, having eaten the crow meat in seconds while they spoke. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve then looked at both of the women and the smiling fairy on his shoulder. He clenched a fist in front of his face, pumping it into the air with one of his signature grins "Let's go!"

Outside the sky was beginning to get cloudy. It was nice, though. The grey skies brought a break and relief from the constantly red sky that was usually present. It seemed like any moment now and rain would start falling.

"Alright!" Link turned around in front of his house. "Here's my place" he opened the door and let Malon step through the doorway before him. "I'll show you arou-" he stopped midsentence and stood completely still, his eyes wide. He turned to his side. His cap, along with a thrashing Navi, were pinned to his door by an arrow. He heard something drop down from a tree nearby, and turned to see a boy around his age, dressed similarly to him.

"Hello, Hero of Time…" the boy said, his eyes closed. His black tunic flittered slightly in the breeze. In his hand was a rather beautiful looking sword, and in the other, a dark, heavy shield. Link could see the quiver and arrows on his back, as well as the bow.

"I was wondering, could you spare some time… to get you ass kicked?!" he opened his eyes, an amused smirk on his face.


	5. Trivial problems

Sorry it took so long to post this one ; My right arm os messd up right now, and it's hard to type with a brace holding it stiff XD

Chapter five! Wooooo! I'm glad I finished this, even with my arm like this. If you're wondering what happened, me and so friends were out the other night, and I got clipped by some idiot, obviously driving drunk. He kept going, so I don't know what happened to him, but as a result, my arm is like this x.x

Despite my handicap, I plan to keep true to my 1 update for every 1-2 day quota I have set for myself. This chapter was a toughie. I kept switching things around every which way. Anyway, music listened to: "Echo" by Trapt(once again, great song for the pairing ), "I'm still here" by John Rzeznik, "Cannon Rock" by JerryC, and "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson.

In a side note, I have reserved, and can't wait, for the new sure to be epic game for the 360, Fable 2. Well, that's all for the AU. I gotta go get my ramen and attempt to eat it with my left hand. Pretty damn funny to watchm trust me XD

This chapter: "Short battle with the boy in black, getting better, and discoveries on the mountain"

Next chapter"The cpnstruction on Death Mountain revealed, the Goron's dillema, and Darunia: Sworn Brother!"

--

The strange boy stood a couple of feet away from Link. "Tch!" Link gritted his teeth. He broke the arrow that pinned his hat to the door and pulled it off, letting Navi out and placing it back on his head.

"Go inside. I'll take care of him" he told them, not turning his back or letting his gaze so much as flicker from the strange guest. There was no room for argument in his voice, so they moved as he told them to. He took a moment to fix his hat, and then drew his sword. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You messed my cap up pretty bad, you know?" he asked, still chuckling. He sighed and scratched his head.

"So, you're the legendary 'Hero of Time'? How could Ganondorf have such a hard time dealing with an idiot?" Kail laughed, throwing his head back.

"First you mess up my cap… then you call me an idiot?" Link asked, chuckling softly. "Well… Let's just see you blush a pretty pink when I kick your ass!"

"So just where has our boy gone off to, anyway?" Ganondorf asked. He yawned, kicked back in his throne as two trembling Hylian girls fed him grapes and wine.

"Sir! It seems he's in Kakariko" a Stalfos reported with a crisp salute.

"Ahh… what's that little bastard doing there?" Ganondorf wondered aloud, not really aiming his question at anyone.

"Sir! Last reports say that he was engaged in combat with the Hero of Time" the Stalfos never let up on the formalities.

"Already? The kids an eager little fu-" Ganondorf was interrupted by a horn. "Gah! What the hell was that?!" he screamed. He didn't like being interrupted, much less during his relaxation time. Which just happened to be all the time.

"Sir! That was the War Horn. Don't you remember? It means that we've discovered another pocket of the Hylian Resistance. Orders, sir?"

Ganondorf's grin widened to the point where it was almost ear to ear. "Kill them. Kill them all"

"Shit!" Link stumbled back once again. That bastard managed to get his shield away from him and he wasn't letting him by to retrieve it any time soon. He growled, gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands. He dropped his shoulder, charging at his opponent, screaming a battle cry.

"Gonna rush me?!" Kail asked laughing loudly as he brought up his shield once again. It was easy to parry him with it. He lowered his shield and stopped for a second. "What..? Where did he go?" he looked around.

"Gotcha!" he heard the scream from above his head. Link's sword was glowing faintly as he brought it down. Kail brought his shield up just in time, stopping the blow. He began to smirk, until he suddenly felt an immense pressure pressing down on him.

"W-What is this? Magic?" Kail growled as he pushed up. It wasn't doing much good, however, as his feet began to dig into the soil. He finally gave, choosing to toss Link and his shield away. He didn't plan to give him any time to recover and took the time it took Link to land as an advantage.

The toss sent Link flying high. He heard the windmill behind him, the blades moving at their usual pace. He just managed to clear the fence in front of the door, catching his balance but having to dodge to the side a second after his landing.

"Gotcha cornered this time" Kail looked Link in the eyes, a bit surprised. He didn't expect him to be able to dodge so suddenly. He lunged at Link in an attempt to stab him. His sword only met empty air.

Link sidestepped his stab, kicked his arm up, and slashed him across the chest. Kail took the resulting spin the slash sent him into and used it to bring himself around for a spinning slash, ignoring the pain from his bleeding chest. His slash connected with Link, but it was lopsided from the way he had initiated the swing. He cut Link, but he mostly ended up hitting him with the flat top of the blade like a club. Link screamed as the blow sent him flying to the ground. He clutched at his ribs from the searing, white hot pain that was flowing through the bones.

Kail panted. The cut across his chest was deep. As much as he hated it, he had to retreat. "Damn you… I'll be back" he growled, stepping back and using a slash of his sword to make a smokescreen of dirt. Link watched the dust settle, and then passed out.

"… do you know who it was?" Link heard a voice. It seemed far away, like it was echoing through a great hall. He groaned softly, shifting around a bit, but didn't move enough to be noticeable enough.

"We have no idea, but he won't be coming back around here any time soon" that was Impa. That meant the first voice had to be Malon's. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up, gasping and clutching his ribs as he did so. He heard a gasp and some rushed footsteps.

"Link! Are you alright?" Malon asked, kneeling next to the bed and taking one of his hands into hers. It was dark out now. He reasoned that he had to have at least been out for a couple hours.

"I'm fine. Don't worry" he assured them. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. It hurt to high hell, but he knew from experience that he'd heal faster if he kept at what he was doing. "How long was I out?" Link shook his head, shaking away the last bit of drowsiness.

"Four hours. Maybe five" Impa informed him as Malon walked with him. He realized that she must have been worried sick, so he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Don't worry, babe! I'm completely fine. I just need to move around a little and keep doing what I do. The stiffness and the pain will work themselves out" he nodded and patted her head with his other hand.

She wasn't convinced. "Here" she handed him a bottle filled with red liquid. She made a trip over to the potion store right after they moved him into the house. The red potion would ease the pain and help him recover faster.

Link winced. He hated drinking this stuff. It almost made him throw up as a kid. He had no desire whatsoever to put that stuff anywhere near his mouth, but he took the bottle anyway. He had to drink it otherwise she'd just worry and get upset. He closed his eyes, gulping as he popped the bottle's top.

"Here goes…" he muttered, throwing his head back and drinking the entire bottle in one swig. He set the bottle down and began coughing as soon as it was down. Sure, it was true that his ribs no longer hurt, but that didn't stop the potion from tasting like ass. He shook himself and slowly his coughing faded.

"Ugh… Hate that stuff…" he muttered. He looked up, seeing his sword and shield and tunic. Wait… tunic? He looked down to see that he was wearing his underclothes. Malon walked over to his stuff, picking up his tunic and cap.

"Here you go! I sewed up the holes and cuts for you" she winked at him while smiling.

"You can sew?" Link cocked his head to the side. He hadn't expected that. She worked on a ranch, and she was always complaining about how working took up all of her free time. He took the clothes and looked them over. Good as new. You couldn't even tell there had been cuts or tears anywhere.

"Damn it… damn it…." Kail growled, sitting on the ground. The doctor laid dead at his feet, his blood pooling up on the ground. The aging man walked in on Kail as he was patching himself up and bothered him. So, of course, he killed him. Kail gritted his teeth as he wiped a rag covered in a strong disinfectant over his cut. It stung like hell, but the pain from the cut and the cleaning weren't nearly as bad as the hit he took to his pride.

He sighed, setting down the bloodied rag and picking up a roll of bandages. Time to set about bandaging himself as well as he could.

"Are you sure you should be doing this now? You just got over being hurt" Malon whined, gripping Link's hand tight. He, Malon, and Impa stood at the gate to the Death Mountain path.

"I have to. I have to go check on Darunia. He's a close friend of mine, and if he needs help with something, I'll be there" Link nodded, as if not to let Malon object. She pouted, sticking her lip out.

Link chuckled, watching her throw her little fit. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I'll be fine" he whispered, stroking the back of her head.

"Do you promise? Do you promise to come back in one piece?" she whispered back, her head down and on his shoulder. Impa cleared her throat softly, turning away from them so they could have their moment.

"Promise. I haven't broken a promise before, have I?" he grinned and tilted her chin up.

"Geez, you're so cheesy" she laughed, looking up at him. She moved her hands up to the back of his neck, running her hands through the part of his hair she could reach. "Here you go, Mr. Hero…" she whispered and moved in, placing a quick kiss on his lips. She moved back, holding it this time.

After she pulled away, she winked. "We'll continue this when you get back in one piece. Got it?" she giggled as she spoke.

"Uh… yeah… sure…" Link was somewhere else as he spoke. He shook his head, waving to the two. "I'll be back soon. C'mon, Navi. Let's go!" he smiled to his fairy companion who seemed to be less then pleasant. Maybe even a bit jealous. The two ran-and flew-off towards Death Mountain. Something told Link that Impa's suspicions about a problem were more than just a suspicion. She did know pretty much everything that happened in Hyrule, after all.

Link stopped, his jaw dropping as he saw how the path had changed. Sure, it was still the beaten, steep, red earth path he walked up as a kid, but now… Giant boulders rolled down the hills, and hot chunks of rock fell on the path in front of him. "What is this crap?! Rocks… boulders, volcanic chunks of rocks… sounds like my idea of a good time" he snorted, looking to the side. He knew the presence of the small eruptions that spat out the chunks of rocks meant that something bad _had_ to have been going on up there.

"Well why do you think it's called _Death_ Mountain?" Navi asked an obvious question. There was a certain poison in her voice as she spoke, obviously from annoyance.

"Whatever…" Link sighed as he began his slow-and most likely painful- ascent to the top of the path, and Goron City. He stopped quickly when he noticed his feet were hitting something other than soil. "Huh? Have these planks always been here?" he asked. He looked up and saw that a wooden frame went up the side of the mountain and out of sight. "What the hell is this?"


	6. Heating things up

My god, I just now noticed. This damn brace is making me make so many typos X.x I just read over my last chapter and in the beginning note alone there were more than I'd like to admit ;

Anyway, chapter six! In all honesty, when I first began writing this story, I didn't think anyone was going to read it. I thought it was going to be one of thsoe stories you pass up while sifting through the list of fanfics, but seeing as how people have stopped by and read and reviewed it, I guess I was wrong. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story D

In a more positive note, the doctor looked at my arm last night. He said that, for getting clipped-and breaking off-a side mirror of a car going fouty easy, my arm was healing incredibly fast. I'm getting this brace removed tonight. Of course, for now I just tossed that piece of crap ath the wall

Sure, it hurts, but I won't let that stop me from pleasing my readers!

That's dedication right there, people. Pure dedication ;D

Anyway, I introduced new characters this chapter. They may seem like just filler for now, but I gurantee you, they will become rather major characters as theys tory goes in the direction I plan it to.

I have also started two new things, the AUC(Author's unwanted commentary), and the notification system(just an overly complicated and cool sounding term for little asterisks that are numbered to inform you that I will say something about the line or thing in question in the afternote)

**AUC:** Writing this chapter was rather fun, and I began toying with a little idea me and my friends had about Sheik while we played this game. It was the source of a lot of stupid jokes. You'll know what I'm talking about when you're done, trust me. Also, the music will go here from now on. Music: "Bang Bang" by Rammstein(don't care if that's not the title, it's the title on the one I lsitened to D), "Cannon Rock" by JerryC, "Echo" by Trapt(sound familiar? D), "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm(I know the original was by MJ. Listened to this during Link's little shop escapade XD), and "Almost Easy" by Avenged Sevenfold(Imagine Kail singing "I'm not insane! Not insane!" XD)

Anyway, enjoy! The next chapter should be up later tonight or early morning tomorrow.

By the way, in the up and coming chapters, I may have to ammend the rating. Don't worry, that means that the 'good stuff' is coming up ;D

This chapter: "The Gorons, The soldiers, and questions about Shiek"

Next chapter: "Darunia and the hammer, Battlefield, and To Slay a Dragon"

--

The wood went up the side of the mountain path like scaffolds. Either someone wanted an easier way up the mountain, or the Gorons were making something here. Either way, it was good. Link grinned as he looked from the downtrodden path of volcanic rocks and rolling boulders, then to the scaffold, then back again.

"Screw that" he whipped out his hookshot and shot it at the wood scaffolding above him, pulling himself up to the second level. (1)He slowly proceeded up the levels of scaffolding, moving as fast as the chain would shoot and retract.

"Seems rather intricate, doesn't it?" Navi asked. Link nodded as the landed on yet another level.

"Yeah, so what's your point?" Link asked, the slight recoil of the hookshot launching pushing his hand back. He laughed as he walked along the top of a boulder as he flew over the moving rock.

"Well, why would they just abandon it if it's this intricate? Look at it closely" Navi's small hand brushed against his face and pointed to one area in particular. Link stopped his hookshot ascension to look. There were still containers of nails and hammers laying around.

"You're right… They definitely didn't abandon it. That means they were forced to stop working… but by what?" he spoke what was on his mind. "Wait…" he saw something else. There was something he knew: a red rock. It's faint glow was beautiful. It was one of the rocks from Dodongo's Cavern. That confirmed it: It was definitely the Gorons.

"We better hurry up" Navi put simply what was on Link's mind. He nodded, shooting his hookshot once again, but yanking on it to throw him farther. He caught the edge of the last scaffold before hastly pulling himself up. The entrance to Goron city lay before him. The lack of the usually loud and boisterous noise usually emanating from the cavern only served to add to his worries and speed him up.

--

Kail sighed. He sat back on the edge of Lake Hylia, thinking to himself. His bandages were wrapped tight around his wounds. He pulled up his shirt to check once again. The bandages still had the faint red stain of his blood. He sighed yet again, removing his tunic and grabbing something from his pack. A needle and black thread worked their way through the tear in his tunic. Hours and hours of nothing to do at the castle opened up paths to useless talents and information. Like sewing.

"Where are you right now, you bastard…?" Kail closed his eyes as his fingers moved nimbly back and forth, the needle like a deadly weapon in his hands, the tear being his victim. He laughed, imagining the bloodcurdling screams the needle would be uttering right now if it was a person, and the needle was his sword.

"Hmmm… Maybe this is why people think I'm weird…" he chuckled as he laid back, the patch job done in seconds. The tear was barely visible now. He slipped his tunic back on, then moved his belt back in place. He liked this place. Sure, the water was really, really low, but listening to just the water flowing while sitting silently calmed him. The crows sitting on the roof of the laboratory of the lakeside professor knew to keep their mouths-or rather, beaks-shut. Kail made an example of one of their friends the first time he came here. Cooked crow meat was surprisingly good, he discovered that fact that day.

--

Link walked into the city slowly, his sword drawn and his shield up. He had been expecting somebody here. If not the Gorons, seeing as how they were missing, but he at least expected enemies. But no, not a soul was here. It was eerily silent as he walked. Then a quiet, crunching sound caught his attention. He looked down to see a small Goron, a child, rolling around in circuits around the circular path.

"He's the only one here…?" Link scratched his chin. At any rate, this child would at least have some answers for him. He jumped down, his knees taking the shock rather well. He waited for the little Goron to roll his way, then held up a hand in an attempt to get his attention, but the little one turned and rolled the other way.

"Wait! Come back!" Link chased after him. He sighed. "Oh well… I'll just wait for him to come back the other way" he nodded, the smile returning to his face.

--

"Sir! They're coming!" a man in scratched, beaten armor shouted. He had a looking glass in his hand and it was fully extended. He saw the Stalfos knights coming over the hills. The older man laughed loudly, a huge grin on his face.

"Alright! We haven't had a fight for a month now. Let's give 'em hell, boys!" he shouted, raising one of his arms. The soldiers shouted, cheering and whooping along with their leader. From his shoulder hung a tattered and ripped banner with the royal family's crest on it. It showed he was one of the King's Knights, the most experienced, disciplined, and efficient soldiers in the entire Hyrulean army. Not that there was much of an army left.

What was left of the Hyrulean army gathered together after Ganondorf and his creatures devastated the castle and the town, and agreed on one thing: That they would split up. They were recruiting soldiers wherever they could find them, and were gathering supplies. For these seven years, the small force of battered and broken soldiers recovered, regaining their composure and will to fight. They were slowly amassing an army.

Of course, this didn't go unnoticed. The leader gritted his teeth. He remembered the report from last week, that two of the eastern forces had been completely wiped out. That meant that forty-two men had died that day. Forty-two good men. Time to pay these bastards back.

"Let's go, you apes! Do you want to live forever?!(2)" he shouted, laughing once again and drawing his blade. The soldiers followed suit, collectively bellowing a war cry and charging at the opposing force. As he ran, the leader's smile never faded. There was something in the air today… Today was going to be interesting…

--

"Goddammit!" Link screamed. A long stream of cussing, most of it not making sense linked together, followed and it all sounded like one word. The little Goron kept avoiding him, turning at the last second, pounding the ground and bouncing over him, and otherwise getting away from him(3). Link nodded, obviously pissed. "Alright… okay…" he laughed. Navi didn't like the sound of that laugh. It seemed like a crazy laugh. He ripped one of the bomb flowers off of the wall and hurled it at the Goron with all his strength.

The explosive flower collided with the chilled and the explosion tossed him from his ball form. He laid against the wall, head spinning from the impact against the wall.

"Gotcha you little bastard…" Link seethed, an evil grin on his face.

"Eh heh heh… Calm down Link, calm down" Navi rubbed the back of his neck as she laughed nervously. She knew he wasn't angry or anything, just a bit aggravated.

Link bent down, grabbing the little Goron by his wrist and standing him up. "C;mon. Snap out of it" Link slapped the childs face lightly, giving him a shake.

"Huh?" the little Goron shook his head slowly. When he noticed he was looking at Link, he slapped his hand away and took a fighting position, fists up.

"Ha! Stay back! You have no idea who you are dealing with, underling of Ganondorf! I am Link, hero of the Gorons!" the kid shouted, although his shaky knees betrayed any courage he was attempting to show.

"Right. Sure you are, and I'm King Arthur" Link sighed "Listen I'm not an underling of Ganondorf. My name is Link as well, and I'm looking for Darunia" he had no desire to talk to this kid at all. He looked around, but frowned when he noticed that the door to Darunia's chamber was shut.

"What? Your name is Link too? Then…" the kid gasped, looking up at Link. "You must be Link, hero of the Gorons and the legendary Dodongo buster!" the kid stared wide eyed at the man before him.

"Yeah, that would be me" he was barely listening to the kid. Apart from pissing him off by evading him for the better part of an hour, the kid's voice was still high and whiny. "Now if you could just tell me where Darunia is" Link sighed as the kid wasn't listening to him, instead asking for an autograph.

When the kid finally stopped yammering long enough to realize he was asking about Darunia, he clapped his hands together. "Oh yeah! Dad's gone! And the other Gorons have been kidnapped!" the kid jumped up as he spoke.

_Finally, something useful from this brat…_ "So what happened then?" Link asked. He wanted to get away from this kid as soon as possible.

"Well, there's this old Goron legend" the kid started, sitting back down on the ground. "of this Goron back in ancient times. There was an evil dragon named Volvagia that lived in the volcano. It was terrorizing the Gorons and the people that live below us. Then, the ancient Goron wielded an ancient ancestral weapon, a mighty hammer, and POW! The dragon was gone. Most Gorons don't believe it's true, but I know, because my dad is a descendant of the ancient Goron!"

Link sighed. The story and comment was unneeded, but at least he got a little bit of info.

"So what, exactly, does this dragon have to do with your father and the rest of the Gorons?" he akse,d a hand on his face. He was getting more and more impatient by the second.

"Well, Ganondorf kidnapped all of the Gorons and revived Volvagia! He's going to feed the Gorons to Volvagia to make an example of what will happen to the other races if they don't comply with his wishes!" the kid jumped up. "Please! You have to go and find my dad! I think he's in trouble!" the kid was getting _really_ annoying now.

"That's what I'm here for" Link sighed. "So, where do I go?" he looked around, seeing the doors to the shop and Darunia's quarters were still shut.

"Oh! Here!" the kid snapped his fingers and the doors opened. "In my dad's room, one of the statue's pulls back and there's a path back there that leads to the Death Mountain Crater. If you go through there, you should come to where my dad is" the kid pointed to the bottom level. "Please hurry and-" Link stopped him by holding up a hand.

"Please stop talking. Thank you" he smiled a sarcastic smile then dropped down a level. He started walking towards Darunia's chamber, but stopped and decided to go to the shop. "Hmmm… even the shopkeeper is gone…?" Link asked. He saw all of the merchandise still on the shelves. He hopped over the counter and bent down.

"What are you doing?" Navi asked, poking her head from behind his neck.

"Oh, just procuring some supplies, my good fairy friend" he said with a hint of a smile. He grabbed some bombs, and took a bottle full of the red potion. It might taste like crap, but you never know if you might need it or not.

"You're stealing from them while they're gone?!" Navi came out, hovering in front of his face with her arms folded over her chest.

"No, not stealing. Just... borrowing" he grinned, hopping back over the counter and proceeded to Darunia's chamber. He saw the statue in question, grabbed it, and began pulling it back.

--

The leader sighed. There was nothing like the feeling after a battle. Dead creatures laid on the ground, as well as bones and armor. The leader looked around and grinned. He knew none of his boys would die. There were some injuries, but after a headcount, all thirty of his men were still standing.

"Good job, boys! Let's clean up and head back!" he called out, standing up and helping one of the injured soldiers up as well.

"Commander Rester! What shall I write down for the report?" a smaller soldier came over. He looked very young, at least seventeen, compared to the older men in armor. Of the six soldiers in the unit younger than twenty-four, he was the youngest.

"Ah, Caleb. Hmm… write down that it was an outright victory with no casualties and a lot of ass kicking" the commander grinned, slapping the boy on the back.

"Y-Yes sir!" the boy saluted, then ran back to help another one of the young men who had been injured walk.

"Makings of a fine soldier in that boy…" the commander muttered as he rubbed his chin. The walk back to the secret haven cave behind a rock in Lake Hylia was quite a ways away, which left the soldiers and their commander with nothing but they're thoughts and their duties.

--

"Phew! It's hot in here!" Link sighed. He grabbed his tunic, moving it back and forth a couple times to fan himself.

"Ah! My hair!" Navi squealed. Link looked over at her and laughed when he saw her hair had gotten all poofy. "Nice hair" he smirked.

"Shut up, you ass" she snapped, taking her place back behind his neck. He was right about one thing. It was hot in there. Which made sense, seeing as how it was above a sea of lava.

Link whipped out his hookshot yet again and shot it into a post to clear a broken bridge leading towards an island amidst the sea of lava. As soon as he landed, he was already aware of a presence in front of him. He drew his sword and brought it up, only to stop.

"Sheik? What are you doing here?" he asked, relaxing his fighting stance and standing up. The strange Sheikah boy was standing in font of him, eyes closed.

"I see you made it" the Sheikah finally said after a while. "Finally! Do you know how uncomfortable it is sweating in these skintight, suffocating clothes?!" he muttered.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Link asked as the boy shook his head.

"No. I said nothing. Link, I have another song to teach you. It, too, has great meaning, just as the song I taught you in the Sacred Forest Meadow" Sheik pulled his harp from his pack. "It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go... This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... Listen to the Bolero of Fire..."

Sheik moved his hands, slowly plucking strings on his harp. His fingers slowly sped up, dancing over the strings. Link pulled the Ocarina of Time from his pack and began to play along with him. The two shared a moment, forgetting about the heat, the stress, and the problems of the world and losing themselves in the music.

As the song slowly came to a close, Sheik's closed eyes opened, and he stashed his harp back in his pack. "That is all I have to show you for now, Link…" the boy muttered.

"Hmmm…" Link scratched his chin. "Sheik?"

"Yes?"

"Well… you always seem to be where I'm going before even I get there…"

Sheik laughed softly. "That's because…" he whispered, blushing softly.

"Are you stalking me?" Link asked outright.

"W-What?!" Sheik was taken aback. He sighed. He could never win.

"I'll see you again, Link…" a sort of longing could be heard in his voice as he tossed down yet another Deku nut. Link covered his eyes, and when the flash was gone, so was the young Sheikah.

"Hey, Navi…" Link looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah, Link?" she asked, their previous argument forgotten.

"Do you think Sheik is gay?"(4)

--

1: I_** loves**_ me my hookshot D

2: Starship Tropers. Classic. Kicks. Ass. Period.

3: C'mon. Admit it. This kid pissed you off too and you know it

4: There ya go! that's the part I was talking about, and I know, when everyone found out Sheik was a guy, was wondering this exact same thing(Yeah, I have finished the game, so I know about Sheik, but if you found out, as I did, that he was a guy before the whole ending sequence, then you'll understand )


	7. Reservations

Back! Brace removed! Wooo!

Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short ;

I was tired after coming back from the docs, so I posted a short chapter. It's got it's parts though. It's all leading up to the epic battle that I hope you are all going to enjoy D

AUC: Man, I was exhausted after coming back from the hospital x.x I ended up staying there for six hours. Not to remove the brace, of course. I was held up by stupid, random crap that seemed like the doctors were pulling out of their asses just to keep me there. That explains why this chapter is so short, like I said. Don't worry, though. It's because the chapter after this will be the first boss battle covered in the fanfic. Hooray! D Music: "A little less sixteen candles, a little more 'touch me'" by Fall Out Boy, "Sugar we're goin down" by Fall Out Boy, "Stupid MF" by Mindless Self Indulgence

--

"I know, I know. I'm just saying. Doesn't he seem a bit… too close to me sometimes?" Link looked to Navi for an answer. She rubbed her chin, nodding as he spoke.

"I can see where you're coming from, but c'mon! Just because he follows you around and talks to you like that and stares at you and… You know what? I think you might be right about this one" Navi changed her mind. There was definitely something up with that Sheik guy.

"Over there is where we're head I guess" Link pointed to a door. It was funny how these ancient temples constructed by the ancient sages, designed to contain and ancient evil had a door as an entrance. With a doorknob.

Link stared at the doorknob in front of him. "What the hell is this crap? You're telling me these sages had magical powers and the authority to build these damn temples, but the cheap bastards couldn't spring a couple more rupies for a bigger, better door? Something must have been wrong. Either that or this is one magical door" he muttered, shaking his head. He turned the knob, walking through the door and slamming it behind him.

--

"They're back!" the lookout shouted. The little boy, most likely no older then seven, shouted down to the people on the ground. They cheered and the men at the front began to move the levers. As they moved them, the mechanisms moved the ropes and gears and lifted the boulder from the doorway.

The wives of many of the soldiers rushed forward and were met with open and loving arms. Smiles all around as the children of soldiers came right behind the mothers. Everyone had someone. Except for Caleb, who walked past the reunions alone. Commander Rester watched him move to his tent and drop his stuff inside before pulling the line and shutting the tent. He frowned as he watched this.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy and the others taught me how to take care of the crops and pick them!" he looked down, seeing his daughter smiling up at him. His graying hair didn't look anything like her jet black hair. The commander laughed, picking her up and giving her a kiss.

"That's great sweetie! Let's go see mommy now" he smiled, walking with his daughter in his arms. She was getting bigger and harder to pick up. He knew that soon, the whole 'Daddy' phase would be over, and she'd be a rebellious teen. He knew this, so he took this time to cherish her, and his wife as well. He momentarily forgot about Caleb, instead going to see his wife.

--

"So lucky, so lucky…" Caleb sighed. He felt selfish for how he was feeling. He had told himself at first that since he lost his family, no one understood how he felt. But then he really thought. He thought about how the women and the children must have felt whenever they were called to go out. He thought about how it would destroy them if their husbands or brothers or sons didn't come back one day.

That was the worst part. He was jealous of them, but at the same time he couldn't be. He shook his head as he laid back on the hammock he fixed to the two small trees coming up through the floor in his tent. He rolled over and tried to get to sleep. Sometimes, the shock of battle could be a good thing. It keeps you from thinking.

--

"Darunia! Are you crazy old man?! You're gonna throw your back out and have a heart attack!" Link shouted, taking a step back as a geyser of molten lava shot up from the sea of molten rock below them.

"I know, Brother! I've seen better days, but I've at least got to try! This old Goron isn't going down without a fight!" Darunia turned around, pushing the doors to the inner sanctum of the Fire Temple open and they slammed shut. Link heard a ear splitting shriek, and Darunia screaming "You like that?! Huh?! Want some more?!"

"Shit! I gotta get in there before he gets himself killed!" Link looked around. The lava looked menacing as ever. He didn't even want to think about falling in there. He jumped to a column that was jutting out of the lava, then to another, then another. He was closer to the door now, but there was no way he could make that jump. He closed his eyes, then decided. He ran towards the edge and jumped…(1)

And at the last second brought his hookshot up and fired. It hooked around the doorknob of the giant door and pulled him straight to it.

"Thank god for doorknobs!" Link grinned as he opened the doors. Navi thought to remind him of his earlier comment, but eventually decided against it.

--

"Ugh… B-Brother…" Darunia rasped as he laid on the ground. Link had never seen Goron blood before. Apparently, it was black. He choked and sputtered on his own blood, the hammer still in his hands.(2)

"Darunia!" Link rushed over to him, kneeling down. "Oh god… Oh man…" he shook his head, looking back and forth.

"I couldn't… I couldn't stop it… It got away. It got out of the volcano" he pointed upwards. There was a big hole in the ceiling, most likely made by Volvagia as it escaped.

"Link, here…" Darunia held up the hammer, giving it to Link "I want you to have it… You're the only one who can stop it…" he coughed up blood once again. Link took the hammer, holding it by it's blood smeared grips.(3)

It was pretty heavy, but then again, it was a legendary weapon. Link nodded, looking down at his old friend and Sworn Brother.

"Link… tell my son… and my wife… that I'm sorry… tell the Gorons that I'm sorry I was such a weak leader… I-" Darunia was cut short as he died. His hand that he had held up to give Link the hammer dropped, and his last breath slipped out. Although he was angered, he couldn't help but wonder: There were female Gorons?

Link's grip on the hammer tightened. Navi was a bit scared of how he was right now. "L-Link?" she whispered, touching his ear. "Are you oka-"

"We're going to slay us a dragon" he put simply. The way his voice sounded terrified Navi for some reason.

--

Caleb rolled over again in his hammock. He heard screaming and running outside. "Nnngh… goddesses what is it now…?" he muttered, before the door to his tent was thrown open and light pored in.

"Caleb! Get your ass up and get your gear! We have to go NOW!" one of the younger men from his unit yelled. He was tired but he didn't argue. He nodded, rolling out of his hammock and got dressed. What the hell was going on?

--

As they marched out to the field, Caleb couldn't believe his ears. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" he said to the commander. Commander Rester shook his head. "A dragon? C'mon you guys, stop messing with m-" he stopped when he heard a loud shriek. His eyes, as well as all the eyes of the soldiers in the field, flew up to the sky. There it was: a flame red dragon, soaring around in the sky, completely with a jet of flame shooting from its mouth.

"You have GOT to be shittin' me!" Caleb screamed as he looked up. "We're gonna need a hero for this…"

--

1: Screw the Fire Temple. And the Goron hostages ;D

2: Shoulda brought a bottled fairy

3: Not that you'll ever need the hammer again after the boss fight XP


	8. Through the Fire and the Flames

Had some fun with this one I guess ;

I'm not sure if this chapter will be that great, but I like the way it went D

Anyway, I've been coping for the past few days. I've been exhausted for some reaosn, and I thnk I'm slipping into a bit of a depression x.x

I'll be fine though

It won't last. Anyway, my birthday is in two days(the fifteenth) so I'm hoping to write a special chapter for that.

AUC: Not much to say this time, other than I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story, and thanks to all readers and reviewers D

Soundtrack: "A little less sixteen candles" Fall Out Boy, "Smooth Criminal" Alien Ant Farm, "Beer is Good" Psychostick

Enjoy D

This Chapter: Meetings, Slay the dragon!, and King Arthur?

Next Chapter: Evil takes no vacations... unless it feels like it, a day in a foreign land, and Malon: Portrait of a young woman

--

Link moved through the caves as fast as he could. The cool air rushed to meet him as he left the Death Mountain Crater, and came out on the summit. Normally, he would have been amazed, and taken a second to check out the view. From up here, you could see everything. The castle, Lake Hylia, you could see the trees in the Kokiri Forest, and even some of the Gerudo Desert. Not today, though. Today, he had other plans. There was some dragon ass to kick.

"Damn!" Link saw Volvagia in the air above the plains. Its shrieks could be heard even from here. "I'll never be able to get down there in time!" he growled. Even if he sprinted, there was no way he could-

"Hey, Link!" he heard a coo. He turned to see the owl he had spoken to so many times during his childhood. It landed on the sign next to him, informing visitors that this was the summit. "Need a hand? Or should I say wing?" the wise old bird asked. Link nodded with a smile on his face.

"Thanks! We need to get out there now! Before that dragon reduces the plains and the rest of Hyrule to a molten wasteland!" he said as the owl offered him its talons. He reached up, grabbing its talons, and it sunk it's claws into his thick, durable leather gloves.

"Hold on!" the owl cooed happily. It took off with a blast of air from it's wings, and carried Link off of the ground and into the air.

--

"Get those reinforcements over here NOW! And for goddesses sakes, get some damn arrows in the air!" Commander Rester screamed as he ducked into the trench to avoid yet another blast of fire.

"Sir! You heard him! Get some arrows in the air!" his second in command yelled, signaling the archers with a wave of his hand. They nodded, readying an arrow each and letting them fly one after the other. They dragon cried out, but not from pain. Although the arrows struck their target and stayed in, they weren't doing anything. That was evident, but they had to try.

"Get me a status report on Caleb! Where the _hell_ are my trebuchets and catapults?!"

--

"C'mon! We don't have time to waste! Every second we take to move these things is another second that our forces could be decimated!" Caleb helped push the trebuchets and catapults along with the other soldiers. Horses were moving the bulk of the weight, and the soldiers were just there to give it some more speed.

"We know that, Caleb! Now could you shut the hell up so we can concentrate?" an older soldier asked. It reflected the feelings of everybody. They knew it was urgent. They knew that they needed to get out there quickly. Screaming at them and nagging wasn't helping at all, though.

"I know that, but we need to hurry! We should at least have a chance with these!" Caleb shook his head, pushing harder. He wasn't going to let the Commander die.

--

"Out of the volcano? Really? Didn't expect that…" Ganondorf scratched his chin. A goblet of wine was brought to his lips and was emptied by a shaking hand. "Thanks, babe" he chuckled reaching up and touching the trembling Hylian girl's face.

"Yes, out in the field. Do you know what this means?" Kail turned around slowly, looking at him.

"Aw c'mon, darling. Don't be so frightened" Ganondorf laughed, further caressing her face.

"Hey asshole! I'm talking to you!" Kail slammed his hand down on the table. That got his attention.

"What?! What is it?" Ganondorf sat up. He really didn't want to be bothered right now.

"If that dragon is out there, it's going to destroy Hyrule! If it does that, then just what the hell are we going to be ruling?" he asked, venom in his voice at the incompetence of the so called "King of Evil".

"Hmmm… you know what… you might be right…" Ganondorf scratched his chin. He looked like he was, for once, going to do something about it. Instead, he just relaxed and laid back down on the Hylian girls laps and ate another grape. "Meh. The Hero of Time will take care of it" he shook his hand at Kail, shooing him out of the room.

"You…" Kail growled, clenching his fists. He wanted to hit the idiot square in the face. He decided against it after a while. It would just be a waste of his good time. He turned and left the chamber "… fucking idiot…"

--

"Look down there! The soldiers are fighting it!" Link shouted up to the owl and Navi. Sure enough, there were soldiers, firing arrows and throwing spears. The problem was that the dragon's breath had more range then their arrows and spears. Their weapons didn't have enough power, either. "Get me on top of the damn thing! It's time to see what this hammer can do!"

He heard a hoot that sounded like it was confirming his request. It swooped down, diving towards the dragon. "Good luck!" and with that, its grip on Link's glove was released.

"Hold on tight, Navi!" he shouted. The wind whistling past his face felt great. It reminded him of when he rode on horseback. Going fast like this was somewhat of a passion for him. He grinned as he came close enough to the dragon to grab it. Luckily for him, the dragon's scales were rough. His boots clung to them.

"Careful! Careful!" Navi squeaked as he pulled himself along. In between scales there were niches perfect for climbing. He pulled himself up, moving ever closer to it's head. The soldiers were a great distraction.

"Grk!" Link had to hold on tight as Volvagia took a sharp dive. He almost lost his grip, but by some miracle he managed to hold on. The heavy Megaton Hammer didn't help at all. He pulled himself up. He could feel the dragon shaking from the inside.

"That can't be good…" Navi shook her head.

"You're right… But at least the damn thing is holding still!" he said, standing up. It took some work, but he eventually started walking. The dragon was perfectly straight. He crouched down, rushing forward. He took the hammer into his hands and smirked. The two big eyes of the dragon looked straight up at him at the last second.

"Peekaboo, bitch!" he laughed loudly as he brought the heavy hammer and brought it down on the dragon's skull. A _crack_ could be heard before an ear splitting screech forced Link to cover his ears. Volvagia had a convulsion as it threw Link off. He fell, screaming, before landing in a soft patch of mud. He stood up, noticing it was beginning to rain.

"Well, the hammer sure as hell seems to work" Link commented. What the little brat had said about the old Goron legend was true, then. His anger at the dragon was still there, but most of it was directed towards finding a way to take the dragon down.

"Maybe the soldiers can help us" Navi commented, trying to help.

--

"Get those catapults loaded up with rocks, trebuchets at the ready!" Commander Rester barked. This fight wasn't good at all. The dragon wasn't even phased by the arrows. Where were those damn trebuchets when they needed them?

"Ahhh!" One of the soldiers screamed. The dragon was right above him, it drew it's head back and was about to belch flame onto the helpless man, but at the last second it's mouth froze shut. The man on the ground was confused as were the rest of the soldiers, and of course, the dragon. It thrashed around and tried to smack the ice away.

"Get up! Go!" a voice called out. The commander turned to see a boy the same age as Caled waving his arm at the man on the ground. The man jumped to his hands and knees and scampered away. The boy drew two more arrows and fired them in quick succession. Upon impact, they froze and caused the dragon to back off momentarily. That was exactly the opening they needed.

"Get back! Regroup!" Commander Rester saw Caleb and the team moving the trebuchet and the catapult. Although he referred to the devices in the plural sense of the word, they actually only had one of each. They were the only ones assigned to them, as the salvaging of equipment from the Battle of Hyrule Castle was not the most successful operation. "Caleb! Position them on the hill!" he pointed to the hill the boy was on. They were on the path towards the hill already anyway.

Caleb nodded, and directed the men and horses towards the hill. The commander saw the boy still firing arrows, and they kept freezing and giving the men the time they needed.

"Goddesses… this is exactly what we needed" he smiled, clenching a fist. "Move the trebuchet into position! I want that arrow ready to fire as soon as possible! And as for the catapult, get that ready to fire immediately afterwards!" he was dishing out rapid fire orders. He knew the meaning of something like this, and chances are they weren't going to get another like this, so he wanted to make the most of it.

--

"Fire!" Caleb shouted. The man on the trebuchet pulled, and the massive arrow fired. It pierce the dragon's scales, making it screech and belch flame as the arrow forced it lower to the ground. Before anyone knew what was happening, the rocks were kicked off of the catapult. "What do you think you're-" Caleb started to shout, but was interrupted by a swift kick to the face.

"Sorry! I need this!" Link shouted back. He jumped up into the catapult and grabbed the hammer in one hand. The other held the master sword. He drew his sword back, cutting the rope and tossing him forward. "To hell with you!" he screamed at the dragon, flipping and bringing the hammer down upon its skull once more. The reverberations rung through the hammer, and traveled down the dragon's spine and skull. Cracks and snaps could be heard all along the dragon's length. It didn't get a shriek or last breath before death. It dropped to the ground and ceased movement.

"Well what do you know… maybe I AM King Arthur" Link grinned.


	9. Celebration time

Sorry bout the delay. I had a strange birthday

So yeah, I took a while posting this because my birthday was exhausting. I guess it was an okay one, but anyway, back to the story. I had to change my original plan for the chapters because I was exhausted and the ramen was short this week. I'm a starving artist T.T I also want to announce that I'm starting to write an original story that I'll be posting up in a while if anyone is interested. I'll post the name when I think of it XP

Songs: "Beer is good" Psychostick, "Stop and Stare" Onerepublic, "Almost Easy" Avenged Sevenfold, "Bleeding Mascara" Atreyu, and "Right Side of the Bed" Atreyu.

--

"We… we did it…. WE DID IT!" the soldier who was almost roasted threw his arms up in the air, cheering and screaming. After the initial realization of what happened settled in, the rest of the soldiers gradually followed him. After a couple minutes, everyone was cheering, clapping each other on the backs, hugging even, and some helped those that were wounded.

"We must be blessed…" the commander mused.

"What do you mean, sir?" Caleb asked, standing next to him. They both watched the boy in green walking towards the felled dragon.

"This big battle, and not a single casualty? Sure, they are wounded, but everyone's still alive. Hell, not even going to mention the fact that this kid came in at the last second and saved our asses"

"I see what you mean, sir… we really are lucky" Caleb nodded, smiling softly. He was glad that everyone was alive, and that the commander was so happy. Ever since the attack seven years ago that claimed the loves of his family, the man had been like a father to him. He sighed. Maybe everything would turn out alright after all…

--

While the soldiers cheered and laughed wholeheartedly behind him, Link moved closer to Volvagia. As he moved closer, he heard the dragon's slow, faint breathing. Although it was almost nonexistent, the breath meant the dragon was alive. It opened its eyes and looked at Link. Only one was visible to him, seeing as how the thing was on its side.

Vovlagia growled at him, but it wasn't able to do much more. Link's eyes narrowed. He drew the Master Sword, gripping the handle tightly. The sleek metal blade seemed to sing through the air as he brought it to his side.

"This is for Darunia…" he spoke to it directly. He didn't know if it could understand him, but he said it anyway. He wanted it to hear the voice of its killer before it died. It rasped and tried to call forth a flame to engulf the thing in front of it, but Link's sword was too fast. He stabbed into its forehead. The dragon made a sick gurgling noise and its eyes rolled back into its head. Link turned away from it, and walked away.

Navi was silent as he was leaving. What had happened to Darunia… How long would it take Link to get over it, she wondered.

"Hey! Stop!" a voice called to them. There was a sound of running, so Link turned to see a soldier. He panted and looked up to him. The man smiled as he spoke. His charred, battered armor still managed to shine. That was when Link realized it he looked up. There was a sudden rumbling, and everyone stopped. All the eyes shot towards Death Mountain. Was it really going to erupt? Was all of this for nothing?

--

Sheik sat on a high tree, sighing and plucking his harp slowly. He opened his eye that was visible and looked towards Death Mountain. "Good job, Link… you got rid of the creature in the volcano. You freed the curse!" he muttered, watching the mountain.

--

Malon, as well as all of the villagers ran out. She looked terrified. The ground had been shaking for about two or three minutes now. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, and lava shot up from the top of the volcano. It erupted sky high. People began screaming and running, but she didn't move an inch. She was too terrified. Then she noticed: The lava wasn't coming back down. The others slowly realized this. The lava was getting sucked into the sky, as well as the ominous red ring around the summit of the mountain.

Just like that, in an instant, the lava and the ring disappeared. The red sky slowly settled, and rays of sunlight shined through the red sky. It slowly dissipated and the blue sky came in. The clouds, the sun, the great blue sky… The serene sight held people in place. It was so beautiful, and it had been sorely missed over the seven years since Gannondorf came to power.

"Link…" Malon whispered. She new he had something to do with this.

--

"Just who the hell are you, kid?" the commander laughed, putting an arm around Link and putting him into a headlock. He and the other soldiers laughed, and even though Link was down, it was hard not for him to laugh. He eventually gave in, and laughed with them.

"I'm… just someone who likes to help" he told them, fixing his cap. Before he knew what was going on, a blue light shone down from the sky and encased him. He waved to them as he was slowly pulled away from there.

--

When he opened his eyes, he saw himself in the Chamber of the Sages. He didn't know how they managed to live in the room. Aside from the center island that had the seven medallions on the ground and the seven places for the sages, there was just waterfalls and a seemingly endless pit below.

"Good job, brother!" a gruff voice came from behind him. He turned to see Darunia, alive and well.

"Darunia! But I thought you died" he said, a smile on his face.

"I did! I think… But would you look at me, eh? 'Sage of Fire'. Pretty cool, eh? Rivals your 'Hero of Time' Darunia laughed, and Link followed.

"Thank you for destroying that evil monster. Not only did it threaten my people, but all of Hyrule. You did, great brother"

--

Link's eyes slowly opened as he floated down. He landed back on the ground, on the small bridge that led towards Kakariko village. It was a bit later in the day, but the sun was still out. Link smiled wide as he saw that the sunlight and life had returned to the plains. The breeze blew by him, towards. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to get lost in thoughts. He had people waiting for him back home.

--

"Dead?! He even killed the dragon?" Ganondorf asked, sitting up for once.

"Yeah, the dragon is dead too. What are you gonna do now?" Kail could tell he was worried. Maybe now, the slacking bastard would finally do something.

"Man, I really wanted to ride on the dragon, too… maybe get a picture. Man, that would have been so cool!" Ganondorf laughed thinking about it.

Kail sighed. This idiot was hopeless. He shook his head. He didn't particularly care about the whole unoriginal 'take over the world' plan, but even he could do this better. He left the chambers, wishing for the thousandth time that Ganondorf would die a horrible death.

--

The village was loud when Link got back. He smiled as he walked in. Under the blue sky, people were dancing, cheering, hugging, cooking, and all sorts of things. It looked like a town fair. He looked around, his eyes locking on Malon as soon as he saw her. He could tell she was looking at him too.

When he got close enough, the people cheered louder, running over to him.

"There he is, the one who saved the mountain and brought back the skies!" Impa pointed to Link. The people lifted him off of his feet and above the crowd.

"Whoa! Link started laughing as he was carried around by the crowd. After a couple minutes, they put him down. He was glad they were so happy. After everything that had happened, they needed more happy days like this.

"Just have some fun for right now. We're working on a big dinner!" one of the younger women informed him. She winked at him when she left. Sure, she was pretty, but he had only one woman on his mind right now. He pushed through the crowd and ended up at the foot of a small set of stone stairs. He looked up at her with a smile, and she returned the smile while she looked down.

"Welcome back, Mr. Hero"

--

Link and Malon looked around as they walked. They stopped in a small alley behind a house. There was no one around, they were sure of it. Link grabbed both of her small hands, pushing her against the wall.

"I missed you" he told her, letting og of one of her hands and brushing her hair out of her face.

"I missed you more" she whispered, her now free hand wrapping around his neck. He moved forward, kissing her deeply. Their lips moved with flow of each other until they opened, and Link's tongue slid into her mouth. Their tongues danced as they deepened the kiss, getting rid of all the stress and worries that had come up today.

"Excuse me! I don't think I need to see this!" Navi interrupted their moment again. They parted lips, both sighing. Link shook his head.

"I'll be damned if I'm going to let this ruin my reunion" he said, reaching into his pack.

"I can't believe you guys are indecent enough to do this stuff outside and- hey!" Navi screamed as Link swiped a bottle at her. She went in easy enough, and it was just a matter of popping the cork in.

The little fairy could barely be heard as she threw a temper tantrum inside the bottle. Link and Malon laughed, looking back to each other. Link took off his cap, laying it over the bottle. There were certain things his fairy guardian didn't need to know…


	10. Aftermaths

Sorry bout the delay. Writing this has taken a backseat to the rest of my life recently.

I took a while to post this because I had a family member's funeral to go to so I apologize for the wait. I've been so busy that I haven't been able write that much. If this chapter seems short it's because it is XD

But yeah, this one is short because I'm writing my original story, plus the next chapter is going to be everyone's favorite: the Water Temple! D

Songs: "Malaguena Salrosa" Chingon, "Johnny I hardly knew ya" Dropkick Murhpheys, and "Wizards in Winter" Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

See if you can spot the swashbucklin' reference in this chapter ;D

--

Link sighed, putting his shirt back on. The tunic came next, then his cap. He glanced over, laughing softly as he saw Navi dozing off inside the bottle. Malon shifted slightly in his lap. He smiled down at her as she laid her head on his shoulder. The night sky above them was full of beautiful stars once again.

Link sighed and stroked Malon's head, running his fingers through her hair. She shivered, moving closer to him. She wasn't cold she just moved closer to cover up the fact that she loved it when he did that. The sounds of the Town celebration were still going strong in the background.

"This is good… After everything that's happened the people need a reason to be happy" Link held her closer and smiled.

"That's right. And it was _you_ who gave them this chance" she looked up at him with a smile on her face. "I'm proud of you. I knew you were a hero, but with this one thing you've given people a reason to be happy for years" she snuggled up against him.

"You think so…?" he leaned back and looked towards the stars. He was never really comfortable with getting praise for his acts. He preferred it when people knew it was him, but didn't show their appreciation openly. He grinned slightly when he realized if it was Malon showing her thanks, he wouldn't mind one bit.

"There they are!" some shouted happily.

Link's head shot up and looked towards the voice. Impa was standing there with a smile on her face, and there were some villagers behind her.

"C'mon now, or you're gonna miss the dance!" one of the men waved them over.

Link looked down at Malon. She seemed to have a light in her eyes that was shining as bright as Din's Fire. He stood up with her, nodding.

"I've always wanted to go to a big dance… You know, like the ones they had at the castle" Malon gushed. Her hands were at her cheeks, covering her red face. Link laughed at how she was behaving.

"To just dance? I've never been to a dance before" he admitted. He had danced with Saria in the woods before, but he had never been to an actual dance before. He felt kind of awkward now, with these people asking them to dance. He wouldn't say it, but he was kind of scared he was going to embarrass himself out there.

Malon's arm hooked in his and her warm smile made him forget about his worries. Sure, he was most likely going to go out there and look like an idiot, but at least he was going to do it with the woman he loved.

--

"What's wrong, Kail?" someone asked. His eyes slowly opened and he saw the owner of the voice.

"I'm just… bored" he sighed. The pale skinned Hylian girl blinked her big green eyes as he spoke.

"Why? Aren't you glad that you get to relax instead of always fighting?" the girl swept her long golden blond hair over the shoulder. She moved closer to him and sat down.

"No way" he grinned "I live to fight. I'm a warrior, Celia" he patted the small girl on her head.

"Really? That's cool!" she smiled big. She was shorter than him and he looked young, like a little girl really, even though she was only two years younger than him. She had a developed body, but she was still small. Kail remembered asking about it once.

"_The doctors said that I suffered from a traumatizing event as a child, and the shock stopped my growth processes"_ she had told him. He recalled that she came from the land over the mountains. The strange sciences there were said to defy the gods and brought bad luck and fortune upon them.

She moved closer, cudling against her. If it had been just another little girl, Kail would have ignored it. But Celia was different. Although she stopped growing, her body didn't stop developing in certain… areas. Kail gulped, looking down at her.

She was smiling still, her ample bust pressed up against his arm and side.

"C'mon, Kail! Tell me stories like you said you would. About the fights you've been in!" she was getting really excited.

Kail sighed. She was one of the few people he couldn't say no to. He didn't know if it was because she had a similar misfortune in the fact that she looked younger than she was, or if he really felt something for her. He shook the thought from his head. He was just here to fight, not to get attached.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll tell you about the time I fought these pirates over by the ocean…"

--

"I didn't know you could dance so well, Link!" Malon whispered as she leaned close to him. Her arm was on his waist and her other in his hand. His hands were in the same places. They moved gracefully across the open village center. The people smiled as they watched them.

"Neither did I" Link admitted, laughing nervously. He felt uncomfortable with all the people just watching them dance. After a while, though, people started moving in and dancing as well. Link sighed in relief as the eyes were gradually taken off of them.

"Phew… I'm done" Malon took her hand off of his waist. She didn't notice how tired she was when they were dancing, but now that they stopped, she felt like she was going to fall over. Link supported her, leading her over to a small grassy hill.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, pointing over to a table they had out. It had all sorts of food and drinks on it. He was kind of hungry himself, fighting to suppress the growling of his stomach.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I am. Could you get me some meat like… I don't know. Just bring me something" she nodded "oh, and could you bring me some apple juice?" she licked her lips. Cold apple juice sounded great right now.

"Sure, no problem" Link smiled and walked over to the table. He got her drink first, then got some cow meat. He got a plate of crow meat for himself and some water. He carried the stuff back to her an set it down. "There you go" he smiled.

She looked over at his plate "What… is that?" she cocked her head to the side and stared at it.

"It's crow meat. It's my favorite" he nodded, smiling and handing her a fork. He licked his lips as he stared down at it and rubbed his hands together.

"Can I… try a bit?" she asked. She wasn't so sure if it was a good idea, but she was curious as to how it tasted.

"Here you go" Link smiled and speared a piece of the meat on his fork. She took it and put it in her mouth.

"Ooo! That's good!" she smiled, chewing the sweet, tender meat.

"I know" Link winked.

--

"… and while the cannons are blasting left and right, I'm there fighting with him, back and forth. He's fast, I'm fast, and we're both exhausted. While the little guys are down there fighting it out, we're up there on the canvas, slashing at each other. I cut off the tentacle of his that had the key, and it fell to the deck. I wanted to dive straight down so we could open the chest and stab the heart but-" Kail was telling Celia, but he was interrupted.

"Sir!" a Stalfos knight saluted him and grabbed a piece of paper from it's belt. The skeleton soldier stood in it's full battle armor and it's sword sheathed. It's round shield rested on it's back and it stood straight at attention as it spoke.

"What is it?" Kail sighed. He didn't feel like doing one of Ganondorf's errands right now.

"Lord Ganondorf has ordered me to inform you that a full mobilization of our forces may be necessary soon, sir!" the knight put it's message away.

"Full mobilization…?" Kail scratched his chin. That was odd.

--

"Phew… I'm stuffed…" Link sighed. Navi was sitting next to them, ravenously devouring the fruits and meat that they got for her. Her anger at being locked up in the bottle seemed to be forgotten now that she had food.

Malon was lying next to him as they stared up at the sky. The celebration was dying down now. It was just some slow dancing and food. Link's ears perked up as he heard the plucking of a harp. His eyes bolted up to a tree. Just as he thought, he saw Sheik standing there.

"What are you doing here, Sheik?" he asked, confused. The boy seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever he pleased. He leapt down from the tree, but as always, seemed to stay in the darkness.

"You ought to check on your friends the Zoras…. Try Lake Hylia" Sheik said, as he continued to pluck the harp. He pointed towards Lake Hylia and closed his eyes.

Link and Malon both turned to look in the lakes direction. "Thanks, Sheik. I-" Link turned around and the boy was gone.

"Does he always do that?" Malon asked as they looked around. Link shook his head.

"Yep. Every damn time… I need to learn how to do that…"


	11. Tyler Durden was here

Ah! Finally an update! D

After all the crap is taken care of, I finally get to update my story! D

I hope everyone still remembers it ;

If you watch Neon Genesis Evangelion, then you'll recognize the... theme for this chapter is what I'm trying to say I guess XP.

If you don't, then I definitely recommend you watch the series Either way, it's not neccesary to understand waht was going on. Also, if you've seen Fight Club(greatest movie ever) then you'll have some appreciation for this that othe rpeople wouldn't w

Anyway, after a long wait, here it is! The next chapter. Almost took a week X.x Sorry about that. But here it is!

Songs: "Sugar we're goin' down" Fall Out Boy, "Flower of Bravery" Fripside(opening theme to Koihime Musou. Check it out. tis a good anime D), "A little less sixteen candles" Fall Out Boy, and "Supersonic" Bad Religon

Enjoy! D

--

"Doesn't it seem a bit… colder than last time?" Navi asked, shivering as she shook her self dry and clung to Link's warming skin.

"You can say that again… damn near froze my ass off…" he muttered, wringing out his cap and placing it back on his head. He sighed and sat down for a second to take a breath. The water flowing down from Zora's domain was definitely colder. And it was obvious why, seeing as how the place resembled a frozen coffin. He rubbed his hands together and sighed, looking up to the early morning sun.

"Sheik and King Zora said to head for Lake Hylia, didn't they?" Navi asked, enjoying the warmth of being against the back of his neck.

"Yeah. I wonder exactly I'm supposed to find there. These temples are placed in odd places" he scratched his head as he stood and took off at a moderate jog. He needed to warm himself up anyway.

--

"Does that make me a bad person…?" Kail asked as he cleaned off his sword. Mastema shined brightly in the torch lit room.

"Well, I don't think so!" Celia chirped, smiling as she washed and wrung his clothes. She sighed and wiped her forehead. Being in this small, cramped room with the torches made for a pretty hot experience. She sighed again as she thought this. This isn't exactly the kind of hot experience she had in mind for Kail and herself.

"Why are you grinning like that…? Nothing good ever comes from that grin" Kail shook his head then got back to sharpening and cleaning his blade. The notice from Ganondorf that the main force might have to be mobilized still floated around in his mind, nagging at his thoughts.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Celia puffed her cheeks up in mock frustration. She smiled when Kail laughed softly. His clothes were clean for now so she hung them up on the line, not too close yet not too far from the flames of the torch.

"Ah… Nothing" he nodded, his back still to her. She moved closer, crawling towards him. He stopped sharpening his blade when she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hnnn…" she sighed softly, relaxing and placing all of her miniscule weight on his back. Her small frame was light but noticeable as she moved more and more of her on him.

Kail gulped. When things like this happened, it was so awkward. He didn't have any memory of ever being with a girl, so he was always nervous with her. He laid his sword down and sett the sharpening stone aside as well. He put his hands on top of hers. He closed his eyes and thought for a second. He decided to sit here for as long as she wanted. It made her happy, right?

--

Link gasped for breath, his head coming up from under the water. "How the _hell_ is putting a temple here smart?!" Link growled, shaking his head as he climbed out of the water. He was already fed up with the fact that it was overcast and raining outside. Normally that wouldn't be bad. He liked the rain. But when the rain drops were like tiny spears of ice pelting you and soaking you before you have to jump into even colder water, one tends to get at least a little annoyed.

Navi sighed. "This is the fourth time this week I've had to dry out my wings…" she set against the back of his neck and snuggled up to his warm skin.

"Oh, would you look at that? Another door. A regular door. What the hell is wrong with these people?! They build a temple underwater, then they stick doors in them? They have some serious problems…" Link shook his head as he grumbled. He reached into his pack, grabbing his hookshot. The ledge he was standing on was quite far away from the door, but he was confident that he could jump the distance he needed to make the shot count.

"Look at this place though… How did they do all of this?" Navi's voice pierced through his complaints and plans. Now that he thought about it, how did they? And another thing: Navi always knew the answers to everything. Well, most everything. The fact that she was just as puzzled as he was surprised him.

"Someone's got a god complex…" he chuckled, poking fun at the fact that they always went to the extremes for these places. The place looked amazing now that he thought about it. The roof and walls sparkled, and cast light all over the place. It looked like this place had just been an underwater cavern before they came in her and made it what it was. Half of the stuff in his sight was made of rocks and the strange crystals.

"So what's the plan?" Navi asked. She finished wringing out and combing her hair as she spoke. She felt nice again now that she was dry.

"Well, I'm gonna jump and hope that the hookshot can nail that door. If it can, then…" he grinned "we're in business"

--

Malon sighed, laying back. She was grateful for the rain. It gave everyone a day off. While it was true that the festival had pretty much been a day off, who's to say that more than one is bad? She threw the towel she had wrapped around herself to the floor and grabbed her clothes. It was amazing that the house that they had given Link had a bath in it. She quickly threw her clothes on then plopped back down on the bed.

"What are you dong right now Link…?" she muttered, before rolling over and smiling. "Probably out there, saving the world, huh? You know what you're doing…" she slowly drifted off to sleep. She planned to use this day of relaxation to its fullest.

--

"I have NO IDEA what I'm doing!" Link shouted, sighing for the hundredth time. This room was strange and it disturbed him slightly. When he first walked in, he was a little suspicious but thought that he was just being paranoid. Bow though, he knew he was right to be suspicious. The room was warm and humid, different from the rest of the cold rooms of the temple.

"This place is kinda scary…" Navi muttered, looking around slowly. The entire room was gray. There was the door behind him, which had since been covered by iron bars, and then there was the other door. Which was, coincidentally, all covered in Iron bars.

"I do NOT believe in coincidence…" Link growled, looking around. The ground was wet. He knew that seeing as how his boots were soaked. In the middle of this open area that seemed to have no end, there was a lone tree devoid of leaves and signs of life, and a patch of land where it was planted.

Link sighed again he had walked the length of the room, out into the nothingness that seemed to be out there, only to end up coming back to where he had started: at the island. No matter where he went, he always seemed to come back here.

"Do you think this was a trap? Do you think Ganondorf did this so we couldn't get back out and save everyone?" Link asked, defeat creeping into his voice as he lay back on the dirt.

"No way! We can get out of here!" Navi flew in front of him, landing on his nose. He gulped and his eyes widened slightly as the naked fairy landed on the bridge of his nose. He was used to having a naked female companion around, but not to having her this close with… 'everything' in view.

"I know Navi, but I'm so tired… It's…" Link slowly closed his eyes. He let out a breath then fell into a short nap.

--

"So what are we going to do today?" Celia asked cheerfully. She smiled and walked with Kail. It was funny how there were grown women, the women that served Ganondorf directly with food and drink, and even more enslaved Hylian women all over the castle, yet it was this little girl that held no fear for her captors or any of the various monsters seen around the place.

"I dunno" Kail shrugged, sighing and staring up at the ceiling. He really didn't. The issue of full mobilization of the troops was still on his mind. He hated the fact that it was bothering him so much, but he knew it wasn't just going to go away.

"Oooh! I know! Can you take me to the Star room again?" Celia asked, pulling on Kail's hand and making him focus his attention on her.

"The Star room? I don't know…" he scratched his chin.

"Please…?" she flashed her puppy dog eyes at him and batted an eyebrow. That was the end of that indecision.

Kail sighed. Why did he let her do this? Why didn't he ever fight back? He was left to wonder these things as Celia held his hand and skipped along side him, singing a song as they walked towards the Star room. The room was pretty cool, Kail had to admit that. It let you see all of the stars out in the sky. But going there a lot was kind of annoying.

"I can't wait!" Celia giggled and jumped a little as Kail grabbed his keys that Ganondorf had given him and unlocked the door. He shook his head. He really needed to stop doing this…

--

Link looked ahead at the door. He had been staring at it for the better part of an hour. It felt like all of his energy was gone. Even the energetic little Navi was exhausted. She was now snoozing under his cap. He took one slow step forward, then another. HE stumbled on the third step, falling forward but catching himself enough to stay on his knees. He lifted his hands from the water and lifted his gaze to the ceiling. He laughed, grinning widely.

"What… a shitty way to die…" he spoke softy, as it felt like even speaking too loud would make him drop. "I can't die here… I… there are so many people that need me…"

"_Oh really? Is there now?" _

"Huh? Who was that?" Link jumped up on his feet, looking around. His head darted left an right, looking for the owner of the voice.

"_Do you really think they need you? If you die, there are always substitutes…"_

"What do you mean? Who the hell are you?! Show yourself!" Link was still looking around frantically. The voice seemed smooth and slick, yet piercing and cynical at the same time.

"_Heh heh heh… I don't need to show myself… Just look down!"_

Link's head instantly darted down. He found himself staring down at the water. It took him a second to realize he was staring at himself. A reflection of himself to be exact.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he growled. He pulled his hand back, drawing his sword. He didn't know who this person was, but they were pushing him further and further over the edge. And everyone, _everyone_ knew that wasn't a good idea.

"_Ha heh heh… Just look! You see me right now!" _The reflection followed, him, drawing the sword. But of course it would, that was normal. Then it surprised him. It walked from under him, across the water.

"_Do you know what this means…? Say it"_

Link stayed silent. The answer was in his mind but he couldn't say it.

"_You KNOW what it means, now say it"_

"You and me are… the same person" Link finally said, gripping his sword tighter and narrowing his eyes.

"_Bingo! Hit the nail in the head on that one" _the reflection laughed, pacing back and forth slowly.

"No… that's impossible" Link shook his head slowly.

"_No, it's not. People do it everyday: Talking to themselves and whatnot. You're just the only one that goes through with it" _it grinned at him again.

"You're crazy" he spat at it.

"_Uhh… No, technically: You're crazy" _it pointed a finger at him. _"Just look at yourself! You're standing here, in the middle of nowhere, having a conversation with YOURSELF! If that's not crazy, then I don't know what is!" _the reflection threw it's head back and laughed loudly.

Link growled. He had an idea of what was going on here. It was-

"_Oh, you think it's the room? Oh no. No, no my friend. I've always been here. This room, it just helped me get to you"_

"You think…" Link closed his eyes, holding his sword tight "… that for one second I'm going to believe this BULLSHIT?!" he stabbed forward at the water. The sword hit the shallow water, then the floor underneath it. Echoing laughter could be heard as it slowly faded out.

"_We shall see, my friend… we shall see…"_

Link looked around. The water was slowly tuning clear, and the dirt slowly faded away. The tree faded as well. He blinked and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a normal room. The grey was gone, and the blue walls were back. The coolness was back in the water, and the air seemed a lot cleaner.

"H-Huh…?" Navi moaned as she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and slipped from underneath his cap onto his shoulder. "Hey Link! You're back. As soon as we came in here, you slumped against the wall and fell asleep. I was worried, but I couldn't wake you up. Are you okay You look like you've seen a ghost" she asked, sounding worried.

"I… I… Yeah, I'm fine" he nodded. He felt like his energy was slowly coming back to him as he spoke. He smiled. It had all just been a dream. A crazy dream. As Link sorted himself out, a scream rang out that made him snap to. "Ruto!" he dashed towards the door. He remembered that Ruto had come to the temple to get rid of the curse on the lake.

"I'm coming!" he shouted a she ran. She was close by, and she was in trouble. There was no way he was going to let one of his friends get hurt in this crazy place. Besides, he needed something to take his mind off of what had just happened. A battle would work just as good as a vacation.

--

"Commander! We just got word!" Caleb shouted as he ran through the cave. He waved his arms in the air to get the Commander's attention.

"Hmmm?" Commander Rester looked up from his map of hotspots around Hyrule.

"Commander! Our inside man has just confirmed that the rumors of Ganondorf mobilizing his main force was true! As of yet, it's just a consideration, but that could change at any moment" Caleb saluted as an afterthought of his message. The men in the room returned the salute and Caleb sat.

"Is that so…?" he scratched his chin. The men around the room were the leaders of the other groups of soldiers. "Then it's a good thing we had our meeting today. Gentlemen, I think it's time for us to stop defending… We need to start preparing for the worst. If it should happen… We're severely outnumbered. We need to gather our forces together, pick a main base of operations and, like I said, start preparing"

The news was grim. Everyone at the table knew the ramifications of what was being discussed. But they all knew it was necessary.

"We either fight like a pack, or we die like dogs…"


	12. Land over the mountains

So long to update... so long x.x

I haven't been able to type recently with all of the things I need to do. I've been all over the place, doing this and that, and it's eating up my time T.T

Anyway, if this chapter seems... awkward or out of place, it's because I'm building up towards something in the overall path of the story 3

Anyway, the musics: "Echo" Trapt, "Monsters" Matchbook Romance, "Helicopter" Block Party, and "Ready, Steady, Go" L'Arc-en-Ciel

--

"Wow… what a long, boring trip…" Link sighed. He was kicked back in the wagon he paid for. He had paid the driver up front to take him on the path around the mountains to Souvernia since he was taking goods anyway. The sounds of crunching dirt could be heard as the horse pulled them along at a steady pace.

"Well, at least we're going to get there, right?" Navi asked him, equally bored. She was kicked back in his cap. She didn't like the hay he was lying on. It made her skin itchy.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm still bored, so that doesn't change anything…" he muttered, scratching his head. He reached over and grabbed his ocarina. "Might as well…" he raised it to his mouth and blew into it, playing a quick song while his fingers nimbly danced along the different holes.

The driver smiled. "Yeah, you just play them tunes, boy. Makes the trip a bit easier"

--

Kail looked around. Had he dozed off? He still felt the small weight on his side. He looked down and saw Celia, sound asleep. He smiled, brushing some hair out of her face. No sense in staying in here. He scooped her up in his arms and pushed the door open. He'd let her sleep in his bed tonight. He had to get outside and do something. Anything.

On his way to his room, he passed two Stalfos knights, lumbering along and chatting.

"So you reckon this rumor 'bout us getting' our kills in is true?"

"Nah, I figure it's just overblown hype. Ganondorf don't have the balls to do it. He's a spoiled Gerudo brat. I'd be surprised if he was willing to fight an unarmed child when he had a sword. He's never touched a weapon in his life. He's got us to do that…"

Kail chuckled. That explained a lot. And it was always good to know that the commander had the support and belief of his troops. He walked the rest of the way to his room with a smug grin on his face. Looks like he wasn't the only one here who despised Ganondorf.

--

"Oh, when do you suppose he'll be here?" a girl asked. She was dressed very nicely. Her white and purple dress fit her very snugly, and it showed off her curves. Her platinum blond hair was done up nicely, and her natural beauty complimented all of these very well. She walked down the stairs from her room. Some of the male attendants of the castle stopped to gawk at her beauty. She batted her eyes and looked to her personal attendant.

"Any moment now, Princess Alora" her maid bowed slightly.

"Oh, come now, Alice! You know you don't have to do that. Only the men have to!" she laughed as they walked towards the main hall. It was hard to keep everyone's spirits high at a time like this, but it was her duty.

"Ma'am!" one of the guards ran in. "A carriage has arrived! Someone is her to see you" he bowed his head slightly as he said this. It was hard to move in the heavier armor the guards and knights had recently donned.

"EEE!!" Alora squealed, clapping her hands over her mouth. "He's here!" she made sure her hair was okay. Alice smiled, as did the guard, and several people who were walking through the hall. Although Alora did act like this normally, she tired to do it more often. The townspeople and the people in the castle seemed happy when she was happy.

"I wonder what he looks like…?"

--

Link sighed, grabbing his stuff. He finished putting his belt back on and securing his equipment when he heard the _click clack_ of heels on the stone tiles of the castle floor. He straightened up immediately, fixing his hair and brushing any straw off of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Meeting royalty was never easy. In fact, now that he thought about it, meeting new people frightened him a bit.

He stopped for a second when he saw the girl that came around the corner. She seemed to glow. Her big caramel brown eyes and her hair just seemed to mix. And the dress she was wearing… all of it seemed to go together perfectly. Her skin was pale, he noticed, and it made her look almost angelic.

Link shook himself slight after a while, kneeling down in front of this girl.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you, Princess Alora. My name is Link. I'm Zelda's friend, the one she sent to help" he kept his eyes directed at the ground as he spoke. He was a little confused when he heard giggling. He looked up to see her giggling and blushing.

"I'm sorry. Had I known in advance I was coming, I would have found something more suitable to wear than this" he assumed that was what she was laughing about. She shook her head slightly, offering him a hand. He took it, although he stood up without any help.

"There's no need to be so formal! We've been expecting you, so please, come in" she turned and waited for him to follow. Link scratched the back of his head and followed her. This castle seemed more… well… advanced than Hyrule Castle. He looked around as they walked down the halls.

"The chefs are working in the kitchen to make us all something to eat. Dinner will also give us a nice chance to get acquainted" she smiled as she hooked her arm in his. He was a little taken aback by this, but he was a guest, so he played along and took her arm. She must have had a reason for this. He decided he'd ask her later, after the amount of people around them thinned out.

He felt nervous. Really nervous. At first he thought it was because he was around such a beautiful girl who just happened to be the princess of the land, but now he realized what it was. And the reason was really embarrassing. This was the first time he had ever eaten at a table. He usually just sat outside and ate. He sat stiffly in his seat as they brought out food. There was no relaxing for him in this situation.

"So, Link, how was the journey here? Oh, and how is Zelda doing?" Alora asked cheerfully while she took some food onto her plate.

Link stiffened up a bit more, then forced himself to relax. "The trip here? Ah, well… It was long, but not as long as I thought it'd be. And Zelda… Don't you know what's going on in Hyrule right now?" he asked, looking straight at her. He saw, out of the corners of his eyes, her attendants jump slightly.

"What? Something is happening in Hyrule right now? What, did Zelda get in trouble with her daddy again?" Alora smirked and laughed. "She always did wring him out"

Link looked around in disbelief. All of the attendants refused to meet his gaze. He knew what was happening immediately. They kept the truth from her to keep her happy. He shook his head. She had a right to know.

"Well, in Hyrule…" Link started his long, long story as she patiently listened and none of the attendants were brave enough to try to interrupt.

--

"I think it's a load of bull" a solider sighed and removed his helmet. The sun outside wasn't really looking so nice now that they were working in their full armor.

"Just shut up and build" Caleb sighed and planted his shovel in the dirt to take a breath. The trench was coming along nicely now that there were four other people working on it. It was touch to work with the full, what with the plates constricting movement. They would have worked in just their clothes if they could, but the commander insisted they did, incase there was an attack while they were building. And no one went against the commander.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll build my wall, and you dig your damn hole" the soldier sighed. Everyone was frustrated right now. Why were they constructing stuff when they should be in there, in the loop? The Commander and the other heads of the branches of the Hyrulian Resistance were keeping their soldiers completely in the dark as to what exactly was going on.

"That's fine with me. Let's just get this shit done and get back inside" Caleb sighed and picked his shovel back up. There were more important things to worry about then the heat. Holes needed to be dug.

--

Alora was speechless. Although normally she managed to keep her bubbly personality even during the most serious situations, Link's story got to her.

"It's… completely taken over? The King is dead, and Zelda is missing?" she shook her head slowly and nervously played with a strand of her long hair. It wasn't really true, was it? But no, she knew it was. The voice with which Link told his tale was completely honest.

"I'm afraid so. I've been doing my best, but there's still a long way to go" he sighed and sat back in his chair. He coughed, and then continued "I'm not fighting alone, though. There was a group of soldiers I ran into that helped me last time. We're slowly, but surely, taking everything back. Once I awaken all of the sages, we'll be able to end this once and for all" he nodded.

Alora smiled softly, looking up at him "That's good. But this… 'Ganondorf' person… He has more strength than you guys right?" she asked, scratching her chin.

Link nodded, scratching the back of his head 'Yeah. But hey, we'll figure something out" he smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "In the letter, Zelda told me you had a bandit problem" he started the subject off and let her pick it up.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, that's right. I'm sorry" she laughed and cleared her throat. "A while back, some merchants in a caravan coming into the castle town were attacked by bandits. They were robbed and killed. Only one man made it to the town, and he died shortly after telling us what happened" she paused a moment to let the information sink in.

"These bandits left the corpses pinned up to trees along the caravan paths as warnings. We took them down and began to send out squads of guards to take care of them. When they didn't get away from us, they fought and killed our guards until they could fight no more. When they couldn't, they took their own lives. If that was it, we could handle it after a while. The problem is… The bandit leader is gathering more and more followers each day. Thieves, poor folk, and even some people from the town. It's spiraling more and more out of control…"

Link nodded as she finished her story. "I see" he replied "So what do I need to do, princess?" he asked her, his hand resting on his sword that leaned against the chair he was sitting in. He thought about the situation for a bit. Sure, he'd killed animals, creatures, monsters, cretins, beasts, hell you name it. He'd probably killed it. But another person? A person like him, with a family, a life, and a chance to be a good person. He clenched a fist underneath the table.

If they were killing and robbing, doesn't that mean that they forfeited any right to a fair trying, and life? He'd do what he had to when the time came. He nodded slowly. He would do what they needed him too.

"We need you to… well… I don't like violence. I would rather have them all captured so they can do some time, and maybe become better people. But… after out experiences with them, we know that's impossible…. We need you to kill their leader. We've seen how they work. Without their leader, they're complete cowards they'll surrender and let us capture them or flee. Either way, we can continue trade, and the people in our castle town and the towns and villages in the surrounding area can stop living in constant fear of being raided" she spoke like a true leader. Although she looked like just a pretty face at the head of a country, she knew how to run things. Link respected that.

"I see… Then that is what I shall do, princess" Link bowed his head slightly and pushed his finished food away from him as he stood up.

"Oh, please! You don't have to call me princess… Just call me Alora" she nodded, smiling as she stood as well. "Before you set off, can I speak with you in my room?"

"Of course. Anything you want prin- I mean, Alora" he nodded and grabbed his sword and shield. He got all of his equipment ready and whistled at a ravenous Navi that was attacking a helpless piece of chicken.

"Yes! Coming!" Navi giggled as she fluttered her wings and flew to sit on his shoulder.

Alora eyed the fairy, amazed "You have a fairy? And she talks?" Alora moved forward and reached out towards Navi and touched her with a finger. "She's so cute! What's her name?"

"My name is Navi" Navi smiled and bowed her head slightly. Link sighed in relief. Now that Alora and Navi were chatting as they walked towards her room, it was easier on him for the moment at least. His attention faded away as he walked and he slowly closed his eyes.

--

"Link? Are you alright?" a voice called out to him. He blinked, slowly opening his eyes to a bright light. He shook his head and pushed himself up off of the ground. "We noticed you had your eyes closed when we were walking, and when we finally got in here, you just tripped. Do you… need some rest before you leave?" Alora cocked her head to the side and laid her hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine I just-"

"No. I won't allow it" Navi shook her head. Link looked up and saw her shaking her head. Her arms were crossed over her chest "You're getting some sleep. I'm not letting you go out there like that"

"But Navi, I-"

"No buts! I said, no, and that's final mister! You got that?" she snapped sternly.

"Y-Yes ma'am" Link was surprised at her, but he understood. She just cared about him. He nodded, and Alora helped him up. Once he was up, it was easier to stand. What had happened to him? Surely he knew whether or not his body needed sleep. He shook his head and Alora led him to a room adjacent to her own.

"You can stay here. I guess I'll talk to you in the morning then" she smiled and nodded. "Good night, Link!" she left quickly, shutting the door.

Link was silent for a second before he finally shuffled over to the bed and fell on it. He pulled the blanket over him and sighed. Then he remembered to take off his cap for Navi. He reached for it, but he noticed she was already asleep, in the folds of his tunic on his chest. She snored softly, curled up in a ball. He smiled and closed his eyes. What the hell, right? It was late anyway.

--

Alora walked back into her room. She sighed and touched the pad next to her door. It shut the energy to her room off and shut the lights off. She collapsed on her bed and stared the ceiling. "Link… how do you see me…?" she wondered, looking out into the night.


End file.
